The airport officer faces six months in jail after he recorded a video of himself with the Barcelona star’s documents following a rejected request for a photograph
A policeman in Dubai faces six months in jail and a €124,000 fine for posting a video of Lionel Messi’s passport on social media.
The airport officer, identified as J.J., was accused by prosecturos of abusing the telecommunications system and he pled guilty to breaking the Cybercrime Law, but asked for leniency.
Messi arrived in Dubai in late December to attend the Globe Soccer Awards, where he won the Best Player of the Year award, and the policeman asked if he could take a photo with him, only to be told the Barcelona star was too tired.
The 26-year-old then walked through to the passport control office to find the Argentine’s passport and recorded himself with it, which he uploaded to Snapchat with the the message: “This is Messi here in Dubai … what shall I do now? Burn his passport or let it go! Alas … I will let it go.”
He is quoted by Gulf News as saying: “I waited for Messi’s arrival to take a photo with him, but his private escorts informed me that the player was tired and would not be able to take a photo.
“Thereafter I walked to the passport control’s office where I saw Messi’s passport on a desk. I grabbed the passport and opened it to the page that contained Messi’s personal details and took video images with my iPhone via Snapchat.”
Advocate Ali Abdullah Al Shamsi added: “His behaviour is deemed a breach of Messi’s privacy because the passport is considered a private possession just like the details mentioned on it.
“As a private ownership, the passport and the details printed inside it are protected by law just like the protection that the passport’s bearer enjoys.”
credit: m.goal
