15 February 2010
DUBAI — The defence lawyer of an Emirati businessman accused of raping a saleswoman, by deceiving her with a forged marriage certificate, told the court that it all happened with the woman’s consent.
Nasser Hashem argued in the Court of First Instance that the Uzbek woman was married once before and should have known how things usually go on.
“She must know that in order for a marriage certificate to be valid she should sign on it. It does not have anything to do with languages. What she did was in her consent so how she could have been deceived and raped?” Hashem said.
The businessman was originally accused of forging a marriage certificate and having sex out of the wedlock with the woman. Later on, the court reframed the charge to rape.
The Public Prosecution charged the businessman with forging a marriage certificate and using it. The discrepancy came to light when the defendant filed a complaint against ‘his wife’ accusing her of stealing three jewellery watches from him. The police officers were then presented with a forged marriage document.
Yousri Saad, the lawyer of the plaintiff argued in the court that his client was victim of deception and manipulation by the businessman. “There is no need for the woman to be virgin to prove that she was victim of rape,” he said referring to the fact that the Uzbek was married before to a man in her home country. The verdict will be handed down on March 2.
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/article/20100215/ARTICLE/302159881/1002