UAE court sentences 12 people to prison for entering country with fake passports

Abu Dhabi: Twelve people were convicted on separate charges of stolen and fraudulent passports by the Federal Supreme Court on Monday.

Nine of the dozen cases were guilty pleas, hoping to get a lighter sentence. All of the 12 men were from Bangladesh and were caught while in the UAE.

Typically, if someone tries to enter the country with a fraudulent passport, they are put on a flight right back to their country and possibly handed over to the local authorities. In this case, these men were captured while in the UAE.

The presiding judge issued six months sentences for each of the men after which they will be deported and forbidden from entering the UAE.

Eye exams will be taken to identify the men in case they attempt to re-enter the UAE using different passports.