Three get jail term for perjury

Abu Dhabi: Three people were found guilty of perjury and signing a false official document which claimed that a woman did not remarry after obtaining a divorce. They will serve a three-month sentence each while the woman and her new husband will each serve double that time in jail for instigating the act, the Criminal Court ruled.

The Arab woman had approached the Red Crescent seeking funds as she claimed to be the sole supplier to her children after the divorce. The defendant presented papers to the charity organisation claiming that she had not remarried after her divorce. She had asked the three witnesses to falsely testify that her statement was true.

Despite not having any personal ties to the three defendants, the woman convinced them to sign the papers as a humanitarian act granting her children financial aid.

All those accused said they had no ill intentions in forging the papers and that they were unaware of the consequences of doing so.

An official source from the judiciary department said the department had started an awareness campaign after seeing many cases where people sign on papers as witnesses despite not being sure of the truth while others sign without personally knowing those involved.

These situations make those witnesses subject to criminal prosecution which can lead to a 10-year jail sentence.