ABU DHABI // A man accused of pasting an old foreign ministry stamp on to a new document said he did it only to get married as soon as possible, the Appeals Court heard on Sunday.
O O, a Nigerian security manager at an oil company, intended to marry an American woman who worked at Khalifa University.
He took a foreign ministry stamp he had on a document from 2011 and pasted it on a letter of approval, a requirement needed to register his marriage.
He was told he had to get it accredited at the Ministry of Justice. It was there he was caught and charged with forgery.
Given that there was no intention to cause damages, he was referred to the Court of Misdemeanours where he was charged with moving a stamp from one document to another and given three months in prison.
O O, who is appealing the verdict, has been out on bail since the beginning of the case.
O O had already finalised his marriage by going through the proper procedures after his first attempt failed and had held a big wedding, his lawyer said.
The chief justice, Dr Khairi Al Kabbash, asked the lawyer to deposit Dh150, the price of the stamp, with the foreign ministry.
“Congratulations on the marriage. We will adjourn to announce the verdict,” he said.
“Getting married is punishment enough for him,” the chief justice said jokingly.
hdajani@thenational.ae
