Oliver Loeb, a 51-year-old Belgian businessman, is serving a three-year sentence in a Dubai prison for bouncing cheques after an investor did not pay up on a business deal.
He was taken to hospital on Tuesday and was placed on a glucose drip after he collapsed. He had begun his hunger strike on April 18.
The chief prosecutor met with the Belgian hunger striker that day, a source familiar with the case told Al Jazeera, and he agreed to resume food and drink for one week. He remains very weak.
During this time, they have promised to review the case. It would require a pardon from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai and vice-president of the UAE, for the case to be dropped.
"They promised him that they would do something within this time," the source said.
While the prosecutors did not give specific details of what action they would take, Loeb had chosen to "give them the benefit of the doubt," the Dubai-based source said.
Under the UAE penal code, it is against the law to issue a cheque in "bad faith" or in malicious intent, if the person is aware that they do not have enough funds to honour the cheque.
He has vowed to refuse food and water again in seven days if they fail to deliver on their promise.
More hunger strikers
There are at least 16 other foreign nationals currently imprisoned in the UAE who are on hunger strikes, including people from Britain, Ireland, Lebanon, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia.
On Monday, Zack Shahin, a US citizen who has been incarcerated in Dubai since 2008 without bail, trial or conviction, became the most recent priosner to joined the hunger strike. Continue Reading
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