Trade secrets must be kept secret, says the prosecutor’s office

Bay Today, Staff reporter

The UAE Attorney General’s Office’s ‘Wa’ai’ Criminal Media Center clarified in a post on its social media accounts on Saturday what the penalties are for revealing trade secrets, emphasizing that they must be kept in confidence.

On the subject (Trade secrets must be kept in confidence), the Prosecutor’s Office stated that, in accordance with Article 432 of Federal Decree-Law No. 31 of 2021 promulgating the Law on Crimes and Punishments, whoever, by virtue of his profession, craft, situation or art, is the custodian of secrets and discloses them in circumstances other than those permitted by law or uses them for his own benefit or for the benefit of another person, unless the person to whom the secret relates is authorized to disclose or use it, will be sentenced to a term of arrest of at least one year and a fine of at least 20,000 dirhams or one of these two penalties.

The penalty is imprisonment for a period of up to five years if the perpetrator is a public official or performs public service and the secret is disclosed in the course of, in connection with or on the occasion of the performance of his official duties or service.

This is part of the ongoing activities of the General Prosecutor’s Office aimed at promoting legal culture among members of society and increasing their awareness of the latest regulations in force in the country.