Dubai housemaid seeks to swear on Quran that she did not steal

Dubai: A housemaid asked a judge to allow her to swear on the Quran that she did not rob her employer when she pleaded not guilty in court yesterday.

"I swear by God that I did not steal anything. Your honour, please allow me to swear on the Quran that I did not rob any jewellery from the claimant," the 22-year-old Ethiopian housemaid argued when she defended herself in weak Arabic before the Dubai Court of First Instance.

The Public Prosecution charged the defendant, FN, with stealing four gold rings worth Dh3,500 which belonged to her Emirati sponsor.

The housemaid pleaded not guilty and she claimed before Presiding Judge Fahmi Mounir at courtroom 4: "My employer has not paid my salary for months… I haven't received a penny from them."

Records

Records showed that the housemaid remained absconding since December 27, 2007, the date when she reportedly robbed her sponsor.

The 28-year-old Emirati claimant testified that her aunt woke her up and informed her that the defendant absconded on the day of the incident.

"I checked her room which turned out to be empty. She took her belongings and disappeared. Later, I realised that she reportedly stole the rings from my bedroom. We reported the police," added the Emirati housewife.

Her husband testified: "I was abroad when my wife informed me that the suspect absconded and stole her rings. She told me over the phone that FN quarrelled with our children before she escaped."

A verdict will be delivered soon.