Dubai: A housemaid accused of stealing cash from her employer told a court she was only taking what was rightfully hers.
“I am not a thief… I did not steal money. I took my salary,” said the 28-year-old Ethiopian housemaid, Z.M., before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Sunday.
The prosecutors charged the defendant with stealing Dh1,700 from her Jordanian employer.
“You did not steal Dh1,700?” Presiding Judge Mohammad Jamal asked the defendant in courtroom three.
“I did not take Dh1,700… I only took Dh1,500 which is my unpaid salary. She did not pay my salary,” replied the Ethiopian.
The 35-year-old employer testified that the incident happened in December when she took her children out to a park and her husband was asleep.
“My children, sister-in-law and I went to the park around 6.40pm and left the suspect at home. My daughter rushed back home around 7pm to get her medicine and when she returned she informed me that the housemaid was not at home. She claimed to me that she spotted my purse in her room. I went back home immediately and when I checked the purse, I discovered that there was Dh1,700 missing. I rushed out and looked for Z.M. around the building… but she had disappeared. We reported the matter to the police,” said the Jordanian woman.
Meanwhile the defendant admitted before prosecutors that she took advantage of the fact her sponsor was out and took Dh1,500 and absconded.
She said she took money from her sponsor’s purse which was in the sitting room. The Ethiopian alleged that she stayed at her friend’s house in Sharjah for nearly ten days before she moved to Abu Dhabi.
Records cited her admitting that she worked in the capital as a housemaid for two months on a Dh1,200 salary. Police arrested her while she was leaving Abu Dhabi.
A judgement will be heard on June 18.
