Accused hacker sues Emirates telecom Etisalat

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http://www.techserver.com/noframes/story/0,2294,500226031-500325015-501840773-0,00.html

Agence France-Presse

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (July 9, 2000 12:11 p.m. EDT
http://www.nandotimes.com) - A Briton accused of hacking filed a
lawsuit Sunday against his accuser, state-run telecom Etisalat, his
lawyer said.

"We filed a civil suit against Etisalat to urge them to submit a copy
of their records of the alleged sabotage to court. They are still
withholding whatever evidence they have," Habib al-Mulla told AFP.

He said Etisalat had failed to submit a technical report to the
prosecution of its allegations against the Briton, 21-year-old Lee
Ashurst, and that it was allowing the case to drag on.

The defense is seeking access to any evidence to prepare its case and
have the data examined by technical experts, he said, adding that the
civil case had been adjourned until July 23.

The Briton was questioned by Etisalat officials and police officers
who raided his apartment in Dubai, trading and leisure hub of the
United Arab Emirates, on June 14. His laptop was confiscated and
passport retained.

He has since been charged by police under a 1991 law and accused of
"misuse" of Etisalat equipment and services, charges which carry a
maximum six months in jail or a fine of up to 10,000 dirhams ($2,725).

The police file has been transferred to the Dubai public prosecutor's
office, which has yet to decide whether to take the case to court.

Ashurst, meanwhile, has hit back by also filing a defamation suit with
police against Etisalat. He was fired from his job as a computer
network engineer with a construction company after his case appeared
in local newspapers.

Etisalat, the sole Internet provider in the Emirates, experienced
major Web disruptions in June.

The breakdowns have proved an embarrassment at a time when Dubai is
building what it has billed as the world's first "Internet City," a
duty-free zone due for launch in October.

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