Abu Dhabi: A Sri Lankan housemaid sentenced to death in a murder case has returned home after she was pardoned, the Sri Lankan Embassy in Abu Dhabi said Sunday.
Abdul Kareem Kanzul Maharifa, 38, was arrested on April 30, 2006, on charges of causing the death of her sponsor's wife by repeatedly hitting her on the head and face with an ornamental pot, the embassy said in a press release.
The Sharia Court imposed capital punishment in 2006.
The Embassy and the Sri Lankan External Affairs Ministry worked continuously on the case until their request for clemency was granted and she was pardoned, according to the Embassy note.
She was sent to Sri Lanka on July 31, the Embassy said.
Gratitude
Sarath Wijesinghe, Sri Lankan Ambassador to the UAE, expressed his gratitude to the Rulers and the judiciary of the UAE for granting the pardon.
The kindness and generosity shown by the UAE leadership in this case is extraordinary, he said.
The Embassy revealed that there were additional cases pending of Sri Lankan citizens sentenced to capital punishment and others.
More than 250,000 Sri Lankan nationals are working in the UAE and they remit a huge amount of money back home, which is one of the main sources of income for Sri Lanka.
The Embassy claimed that the crime rate among Sri Lankans in the UAE is very low.
"It is inevitable that these incidents do take place when people work in difficult conditions," the press release said.
Employees face various problems mainly due to wrongdoings by unscrupulous agents, who cause rifts between the employers, sponsors and the workers, the Embassy said.
