DUBAI // A Filipina maid was sentenced this morning to one year in prison for having sex with a man she said was her husband.
"He was not able to come to Dubai to bring the marriage contract," NR, 25, said in the Dubai Court of Misdemeanours while holding her 2-month-old boy.
Her compatriot JA, whom she said was her husband, was sentenced to one year in prison in absentia as he had left the country soon after NR got pregnant.
She testified they got married in the Philippines on June 10, 2007, three days before she moved to Dubai for work. She said she had gotten an offer in Dubai that she had been waiting for and couldn't turn it down.
NR worked for her Emirati sponsor for two years, then fled to live with her husband, who also had come to Dubai seeking work.
"He came on a visit visa and resided in Satwa," she said.
On July 27 of this year, NR gave birth and was arrested. She said the staff at Al Baraha Hospital did not ask her for any official documents proving she was married.
"We didnt know we would need marriage documents to prove our relation," she said in records.
NR is charged with having sex outside the wedlock, getting pregnant from an illicit relationship, absconding from her sponsor and overstaying her visa.
She denied the first two charges, saying her marriage certificate was in the Philippines. She did not provide the court a copy.
JA left the county 10 days before she gave birth because his visa was expiring, she said.
NR will be deported after her sentence.
salamir@thenational.ae
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
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Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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BEACH SOCCER WORLD CUP
Group A
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Group B
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Group C
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
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- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
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South Africa World Cup squad
South Africa: Faf du Plessis (c), Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock (w), JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Dale Steyn, Rassie van der Dussen.