Dubai: Sentences cut for warlord's killers

Two men who were jailed for the 2009 slaying of a former Chechen warlord had their sentences slashed yesterday from life to just three years.

The Dubai Appeals Court judge gave no immediate reason for the decision, but the family of the slain Chechen strongman, Sulim Yamadayev, had submitted a letter disavowing any desire for further punishments in connection with the killing.

Four other suspects remain at large, including a member of the Russian parliament, Adam Delimkhanov, who denies he was involved. Yamadayev was living in Dubai under an alias when he was shot dead in a car park.

The judicial system in the United Arab Emirates mixes Western codes with Islamic tenets, giving weight to customs such as a victim's family accepting "blood money" in exchange for leniency in murder cases.