Dubai: Prosecutors lost their appeal against a maid who was cleared of stealing valuables from the bedroom of her sponsor.
The Emirati sponsor spent the day out with his family in July 2016, only to return home and find that his 33-year-old Indonesian maid had disappeared.
Upon checking his bedroom, the man claimed that the maid had stolen Dh4,500 worth of valuables before fleeing.
However, the Dubai Court of First Instance in May cleared the maid of theft, citing the lack of corroborated evidence.
Prosecutors appealed the primary judgement and asked the Dubai Appeal Court to overturn the maid’s acquittal and punish her.
When she appeared in court, she denied the accusations levelled against her and accused her sponsor of filing a malicious case against her once she notified him that she wanted to return to her country.
When the Emirati discovered what had happened, he checked the security cameras surrounding his place and saw footage of the maid jumping over the back wall and fleeing.
Presiding Judge Saeed Salem Bin Sarm dismissed the prosecutors’ appeal and upheld the Indonesian’s acquittal on Wednesday.
The 38-year-old sponsor alleged that the incident happened during last year’s Eid Al Fitr holiday.
“We left the maid at home around 11am and went to visit our family... when we returned home at night, the suspect was gone. I checked the surveillance cameras and she was shown climbing the wall at the back of the villa and running away. When I checked the bedroom, I discovered that she had stolen a ring and a pendant that were placed in the jewellery box. Then I reported [the matter to] the police,” he testified to prosecutors.
Dubai Police’s forensic examination report confirmed that the fingerprints which were lifted from the jewellery box matched those of the suspect.
Defending herself in court, the maid contended that her fingerprints were all over the house as she constantly tidied up the rooms.
The appellate ruling remains subject to appeal before the Cassation Court within 30 days.
