Maid Jailed for Stealing Sponsor’s Dh44,000

Defendant stole money from safe while her sponsor and wife were away, and absconded

Bassam Za’za’, Legal and Court Correspondent

Dubai: A maid has been jailed for three months for stealing Dh44,000 from her sponsor’s safe while the family was at work in June.

The sponsor’s wife told her Syrian husband over the phone that she had been calling their 38-year-old Filipina maid but her mobile was switched off.

When the couple reached their flat in Al Warqa’a, they found out that the maid had left after stealing Dh44,000 from the safe.

A few days later, the maid was apprehended by the police.

“I did not steal,” the accused told the Dubai Court of First Instance.

However, the presiding judge sentenced her to three months in jail.

According to the primary ruling, the maid will be deported following the completion of her punishment.

The Syrian sponsor testified that he was busy at work when his wife informed him over the phone that their maid had absconded.

“My wife called me around 2.15pm and told me that the maid had not answered her calls and that her mobile phone was switched off. My wife was also at work. When we went home, we did not find the maid … we also realised that she had opened the safe and stole our money. We notified the police about it,” the sponsor testified.

A police sergeant told prosecutors that investigations led to the arrest of the maid.

“During questioning, the maid admitted that she took her passport and ID card from a cupboard and Dh500 from a drawer in the bedroom before she left the flat,” the sergeant told prosecutors.

When asked by the presiding judge about what she wants from the court, the Filipina asked to be sent back to her country.

The primary judgement remains subject to appeal within 12 days.

(Source: GulfNews.com)