Women accused of bribing cops acquitted

Two women were acquitted of offering Dh30,000 bribe to police officials to clear prostitution charges against them, the Dubai Court of First Instance heard on Tuesday.

Thirty-six year-old NM, Uzbek and VK, 33, an Ukrainian, was charged with offering bribe to two policemen to clear their criminal records and not have them deported after they were arrested for alleged prostitution.

Their advocates Ali Abdullah Al Shamsi and Saeed Al Gailani argued before Presiding Judge Al Saeed Mohammad Barghout that their clients had been charged unlawfully. VK and NM had pleaded not guilty contending that they intended to pay their bail.

"Officers breached the criminal procedures law to detain VK and charge her without any substantiated evidence. She was questioned in the absence of a legal translator. She doesn't understand or speak English and she was questioned in English," Advocate Al Shamsi argued.

"Police lieutenants also failed to refer her to prosecution within 48 hours and that's a clear violation of the law. She was detained for nearly ten days prior to her referral to prosecutors."

NM's lawyer Al Gailani said: "Law enforcement officers breached criminal procedures law. The permission to record the conversation (of charges) should have been obtained from the Attorney-General, but the police got the same from a prosecutor. They did so to cover up the identity of the illegitimate translator."

Meanwhile, prosecutors accused the women of trying to bribe Emirati lieutenants so that they would be released and deported.

Records said the suspects were arrested for alleged prostitution and police caught them red handed and they were about to be deported. "If they been arrested red-handed in prostitution, why weren't they deported immediately? Or why weren't they charged with prostitution and referred to court?" Al Shamsi asked.

"NM was detained while walking on Shaikh Zayed Road contrary to what the lieutenants claimed. She had her passport in her possession, so why wasn't the administrative deportation enforced on her? She was blackmailed and coerced during her detention."

Al Gailani argued that his client's rights had been violated, saying she had been prevented from seeing her eight-year-old son who was left at home alone without any caretaker.

The judgment is subject to appeal within 15 days.