Ajman Court of Appeal acquits woman of Dh5,000 online fraud

Ajman: The Ajman Court of Appeal has acquitted a woman in her fifties of electronic fraud charges after she was accused of taking Dh5,000 from an online user via a fake payment link following a baby stroller advertisement, Emarat Al Youm reported.

The court ruled that the evidence did not meet the standard required for conviction, reaffirming the principle that “doubt benefits the accused” and that criminal judgments must be based on conclusive proof rather than suspicion.

The case began when a man reported being defrauded after posting an online ad to sell a stroller. A supposed buyer sent a payment link, after which Dh5,000 was withdrawn from his account. Investigators traced the phone number used to the defendant, leading to her conviction in absentia and a one-year prison sentence.

The woman appealed through her lawyer, Khadija Suhail, arguing that the proceedings were flawed and the notification invalid. The defence noted the phone was registered under a man’s name, who testified that he had given the SIM card to his housemaid, an Asian national who matched the victim’s description, but was never investigated.

The court also considered medical records showing the woman was bedridden with a chronic stomach illness on the day of the incident. It ruled that ownership of the phone alone was insufficient to establish guilt, and overturned the initial judgment, acquitting her of all charges under Article 211 of the Criminal Procedure Law.