Dubai A police corporal has been accused of conspiring with his two colleagues to give false testimony before a Sharia judge that he never remarried after divorce to win a custody battle.
The 43-year-old police corporal and his two partners [policemen] were said to have conspired against the corporal’s divorcee and falsely testified before a Sharia judge at Dubai Courts that he never married again in November 2014.
Following the partners’ false statement, the corporal obtained a court certificate that he remained unmarried and presented that certificate to the Dubai Sharia Court to win the custody lawsuit that he had filed against his divorcee wife.
Prosecutors charged the 43-year-old suspect with forging a court paper. His partners, aged 57 and 35, were accused of aiding and abetting the crime.
The 43-year-old suspect did not show up before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Thursday to enter his plea, because he is on an official assignment.
Meanwhile the 57-year-old and the 35-year-old suspects pleaded not guilty and contended before presiding judge Urfan Omar that they did not testify that their partner remained unmarried.
“We did not give any testimony, but went to that Dubai court official for a certain inquiry. We did not request that paper or mention anything to the employee,” the 35-year-old suspect told presiding judge Omar.
According to the accusation sheet, prosecutors said the corporal obtained a certificate from Dubai Sharia Court confirming he never married again since his divorce in 2001. The suspect lied about the fact that he never remarried to obtain that certificate and produce it before the court to win his children’s custody, according to records. The other two suspects aided and abetted him by giving a false statement that he remained unmarried.
The Emirati divorcee claimed to prosecutors that she discovered the false certificate after her ex-husband lodged a lawsuit to win back the custody of their children.
“I was the children’s custodian. He constantly created problems for us and repeatedly sent the police to my family’s house. When he lodged a lawsuit to win back the custody, I realised the court paper which said he never got married again since we divorced in 2001 … that was not true. He married a second time,” she testified.
A court official claimed to prosecutors: “The 43-year-old suspect came to my counter with the other suspects and I keyed in their personal details as they needed to give in a testimony before a Sharia judge that the 43-year-old is not married.”
The trial continues.
