Dubai: A businessman has been jailed for a year for forging Dubai airport’s exit stamp on a Swedish passport, which belonged to someone else, as he tried to go and visit his sick wife.

The 30-year-old Syrian businessman is said to have had Dubai International Airport’s exit stamp sealed on the Swedish passport that he obtained through his wife’s relatives.

The Dubai Court of First Instance found the defendant guilty of forging the exit stamp on the Swedish passport that belonged to another person and using it so he could fly out of the UAE in October. The accused had pleaded not guilty.

The businessman will be deported following the completion of his jail term.

“I did not use the Swedish passport. I have my own Syrian passport and I am a legal resident and have a valid residency, why would I used another passport,” said the Syrian in court.

When asked whether he produced the Swedish passport to the customs officer at the airport, the suspect said: I didn’t do that. I have my own valid travel documents. I entered the UAE before using my Syrian passport.”

Meanwhile his lawyer told the court: “My client did not use the Swedish passport. He did not forge any stamp. At first he was not even facing a forgery charge … the case was referred to the Federal Prosecution firstly and then it was referred back to Dubai Public Prosecution over jurisdiction purposes. He did not even present the Swedish passport … prosecutors claimed that he stamped the exit seal on the confiscated passport, but that is untrue.”

The defendant was cited admitting in his prosecution statement that he bought the Swedish passport for around Dh30,000 so he would be able to visit his wife in Sweden.

Records quoted the businessman admitting that he purchased the travel document through his wife’s relative, who couriered the passport to Dubai, after he failed to travel using the Syrian passport.

He was also cited admitting that the Swedish passport belonged to someone else, but he had to use it to visit his children as he was not allowed to enter Sweden using the Syrian passport due to the situation in his country.