Prosecutors lose appeal against man accused of forging leases for land plots

Woman accused Indian man of forging her dead husband's signature to aquire land to use for his profit but court threw out case due to lack of evidence.

DUBAI // A court has upheld its decision to clear a businessman of renting two plots of land after forging the signature of their dead owner.

The acquittal was challenged by prosecutors after the 36-year-old Indian man denied charges of forgery and use of forged documents in both criminal and appeal courts and won the case.

The incident was discovered in April 2015, when the dead owner’s wife saw a copy of the lease contract by coincidence.

“My husband died in 2006, leaving behind two land plots in Al Garhoud and I saw a lease contract signed by my dead husband in 2014 in favour of the defendant,” said the 41-year-old widow, adding that the man had been using the plots for his own profit since 2014.

She reported the matter to police.

Police inquired about the issue with the Dubai Land Department, which stated in a letter that the rental contract was issued on September 23, 2014.

Prosecutors said that the defendant confessed during questioning but, for lack of evidence, the court acquitted him of all charges.

Prosecutors later appealed but on Wednesday the Appeals Court found the man not guilty.