UAE | Crime

Dubai housewife charged with polygamy and forgery

An Emirati housewife (of Indian origin) and a Pakistani electrician have been charged with polygamy and forging their marriage contract.

  • By Bassam Za'za', Senior Reporter
  • Published: 00:04 September 22, 2008
  • Gulf News

Dubai: An Emirati housewife (of Indian origin) and a Pakistani electrician have been charged with polygamy and forging their marriage contract.

Under Sharia law, a woman cannot have two husbands at one time.

According to records, the 35-year-old woman left her Emirati husband's house here and eloped with the 42-year-old Pakistani to his country where they claimed she was unmarried and entered into a marriage contract.

The Public Prosecution charged the housewife, M.N., and the electrician, S.D., with committing polygamy and forging their marriage contract by falsely claiming to the Pakistani authorities that M.N. was a virgin and had never been married.

They were additionally charged with committing adultery.

Public Prosecution records said the suspects reportedly forged the marriage contract so they could have it approved by the UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Testimony

The woman's Emirati husband, H.G., testified: "We married in 1985 and have children. The youngest child is 17... she stayed with the children at my house in Dubai until she left two or three years ago. She used to come and take the children out occasionally."

M.N.'s 17-year-old son claimed he once saw the electrician following their car when they were in Bur Dubai.

M.N.'s 21-year-old daughter testified: "I didn't know anything about the situation... but four years ago I saw S.D. driving behind us.

"He also came to our house three times and asked us to hand M.N. over to him. He claimed she was his wife."

The housewife denied all the charges when she appeared before the Dubai Court of First Instance.

The electrician also pleaded not guilty.

The court will re-convene to proceed with the case.

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