The Ajman Court of Appeal has acquitted a woman in her fifties who was earlier convicted of electronic fraud involving Dh5,000 taken through a fake payment link.
The court ruled that the evidence presented did not meet the legal threshold for conviction, emphasizing that criminal verdicts must rest on conclusive proof rather than suspicion and reaffirming the principle that “doubt benefits the accused.”
The case stemmed from a complaint filed by a man who said he lost Dh5,000 after posting an online advertisement to sell a baby stroller.
He said a supposed buyer sent him a payment link, after which the money was withdrawn from his account. Investigators later traced the phone number used in the scam to the accused, leading to her conviction in absentia and a one-year prison sentence.
Through her lawyer, Khadija Suhail, the woman appealed the ruling, arguing that the trial process was flawed and that she was not properly notified.
The defense also pointed out that the SIM card was registered under a man’s name, who testified that he had given it to his housemaid, an Asian woman resembling the victim’s description but authorities never questioned her.
Medical records further showed that the accused was bedridden with a chronic stomach illness on the day of the alleged crime.
The court concluded that mere ownership of the phone did not constitute sufficient evidence of guilt and overturned the previous ruling, acquitting her of all charges under Article 211 of the Criminal Procedure Law.
