Woman jailed for conning Palestinian out of Dh3m in citizenship promise

ABU DHABI // An Emirati woman who tricked a Palestinian into paying her almost Dh3 million by pretending to be a government official who could grant her UAE citizenship has been sentenced to a year in prison.

FA asked the Palestinian, who has been living in the UAE for 37 years, to make an initial payment of Dh400,000, before demanding more instalments that totalled Dh2,864,000.

She then sent the money to a contact in Baghdad using an exchange company.

When the Palestinian woman ran out of money, the Emirati threatened to deport her and her family. The Palestinian then reported her to the authorities.

The court found the woman guilty of blackmail and embezzlement.