Lawyer fights case for free after woman jailed over bounced cheque

Ajman - The lawyer urged the court to launch a probe against the contracting company which had lodged the complaint against the woman.

An Indian woman - who languished in jail with her twin daughters for over two months after being charged with issuing a dud cheque - has been acquitted by the Ajman criminal court. The public prosecution had charged her with issuing the cheque worth Dh750,000 to a contracting company on February 20, 2016.
The woman said the cheque, which was blank then, was stolen and tampered with. She is now free thanks to the generosity of an Emirati lawyer, who fought her case for free.

(Mohammad Al Awami Al Mansouri-Supplied photo)
According to Mohammad Al Awami Al Mansouri, the UAE lawyer who came to her rescue, during the police and prosecution investigation, the woman said the cheque was stolen from her car in Dubai. She had left the cheque blank for her husband to fill out with the amount for their children's school fees. She had lodged a complaint at the Rafaa police station immediately. A police report in this regard had been presented to the court.
Following her arrest, the woman lost her job at a tourism company. Her family, including her husband and five children, were evicted from their house.  
Al Mansouri said that when he heard the woman's story while in the courtroom, he decided to take up the case on humanitarian grounds and help her out without charging any fees. 
He argued that the complainant had made false statements, claiming that the woman was involved in contracting deals with the firm. He also pointed out that even the company's licence stated that the firm had no permit to work as a contracting firm. He said there was no proof that the firm had carried out any transaction with the woman in the past. Al Mansouri added it was proved that the cheque was issued on a date after the woman reported it stolen.
The court dismissed the case after verifying all the evidence and concluding that the woman had no reason to issue the cheque. 
After her release, the visibly happy woman heaped praise on the 'saviour' lawyer and expressed a deep sense of gratitude towards the UAE judiciary. She said that she had no doubt that her rights would be preserved.
The lawyer urged the court to launch a probe against the contracting company which had lodged the complaint against the woman, as she apparently had no previous relationship with the firm. He said he plans to pursue a civil and a criminal case against the firm.
amira@khaleejtimes.com
 

• Ajman