Canadian Salim Alaradi acquitted in United Arab Emirates

Salim Alaradi, a Canadian businessman detained for nearly two years in the United Arab Emirates, has been acquitted on the charge of collecting donations without permission of the appropriate ministry and sending them to a foreign country.

Paul Champ, an Ottawa human rights lawyer hired by Alaradi's family in Canada, called Monday "a great day for justice," when speaking to Windsor Morning host Doucette not long after the verdict.

​After first spending 17 months in a U.A.E. prison, the Windsor, Ont., businessman was charged with several terrorism-related charges in January of 2016.​ Those charges were dropped in March 2016. Alaradi was then charged with collecting donations without permission of the appropriate ministry and sending them to a foreign country.

The Judge said the evidence did not meet the latest charge against the Libyan-Canadian, Champ said.

However, Champ said Alaradi is not yet a free man. After the verdict was read, he was transported back to prison. Champ is trying to find out when he will be released.

The lawyer had been expecting to get Alaradi out of the country as soon as possible. The plan was for Alaradi to go to Istanbul for medical attention and then return to Windsor, Ont., which his family calls home.

Alaradi's daughter Marwa is happy with the verdict but upset her father was taken back into custody. She took to Twitter to voice her displeasure.

Alaradi was taken from a hotel room in August 2014 and has been in custody ever since. According to Champ, the businessman manufactures appliances in the U.A.E. and sells them in the Middle East and Africa.