Dubai: Four men denied in court on Wednesday the charge of possessing $2,000 (7,344) in counterfeit banknotes for promotional purposes.

Prosecutors accused the four men, three Pakistanis and an Iranian, with possessing the counterfeit dollars and using them to buy electronics and smartphones from two malls in Dubai.

According to the accusation sheet, the 33-year-old Iranian, A.A., used the fake dollars to buy iPhones, iPads, iPods and other items.

Meanwhile, the Pakistanis, 28-year-old R.G., 35-year-old M.R. and 27-year-old M.I., were charged with aiding and abetting A.A.

“We have already been sentenced in this case before. I did not know that the dollars were fake,” argued A.A. when he defended himself before the Dubai Court of First Instance.

The Iranian defendant provided Presiding Judge Maher Salama Al Mahdi with a prosecution paper confirming that they had been sentenced in the case before.

“That is not the same case. It was the same money but a different incident and took place at a different crime scene,” replied the judge.

The Pakistani trio pleaded not guilty and claimed that they did not know the money was counterfeit.

Thereafter the judge allowed A.A. to speak.

“I had nothing to do with that money. I lent someone money and they gave me those dollars. I was born in the UAE and I am aware of the laws here and there is no way on earth I would break the law and do such an act. I didn’t know that the money was not original. I want the court to grant me time to hire a lawyer to defend me,” A.A. contended.

An Emirati policeman testified that A.A. purchased electronics from Dubai Mall. The dollars turned out to be counterfeit when the shopkeeper went to convert them dirhams, said the policeman.

“We checked the surveillance cameras and identified A.A. from his car number plate. He was arrested in Bur Dubai. During questioning, he alleged that he lent M.I. Dh70,000. A.A. claimed that R.G. and M.R. met him near his house and gave him $10,000 that turned out to be counterfeit,” claimed the policeman.

The suspects were arrested shortly after they tried to exchange the faked money by purchasing electronics in two malls.

The trial continues.