Woman is also charged with attempted swindling by buying five mobile phones at duty free Dubai A woman visitor from New Zealand yesterday strongly denied the charge of possessing $10,200 (Dh37,458) in counterfeit banknotes for trading purposes. Prosecutors accused the 44-year-old woman, K.M., with unlawfully bringing into the country 102 banknotes of counterfeit dollars, and using them to purchase goods from the Duty Free at Dubai International Airport. “Not guilty… I did not know the money was counterfeit,” argued K.M. when she defended herself before the Dubai Court of First Instance yesterday. Trading purposes According to the charge sheet, prosecutors charged K.M. with illegally importing the counterfeit banknotes into the country for trading purposes. She was also charged with attempted swindling when she purchased five mobile phones, an earpiece and a battery charger with the counterfeit notes. Her lawyer Nasser Hashem, of Al Kamali Advocates and Legal Consultants, yesterday asked Presiding Judge Mohammad Jasem Mohammad for a speedy trial as his client is a mother of several children. Adjourned The judge adjourned the case until next Monday to hear prosecution witnesses. A Filipina sales assistant at the Duty Free claimed in her prosecution statement: “The suspect came to my counter after she purchased five mobile phones worth $1,900. “She handed me $2,000 and when I examined the banknotes in the detecting device [special device that detects the genuineness of banknotes], five banknotes turned out to be counterfeit. I double checked them on a second device that gave me the same result… so I informed my superior immediately.” Police were called and the woman was taken in for questioning. The New Zealander denied her charges and claimed to prosecutors that she did not know that the banknotes were counterfeit.
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