DUBAI // A female visitor denied smuggling fake currency and attempting to use it to shop at a duty free store, a Dubai court heard this morning.
The suspect KM, 44, from New Zealand, told the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance that she did not know the US dollars she had were fake.
Prosecutors said that on November 11, 2010, the woman arrived at Dubai International Airport for a visit to the UAE.
While she was shopping at the arrivals Duty Free Zone, KM purchased five HTC mobile phones, an earpiece and a mobile phone charger worth US$1,900 (Dh6,979), court records said.
Prosecutors said the suspect paid the saleswoman with $100 notes. The saleswoman tried to slide the bills under the scanner to register the sale, and it identified them as fake.
Prosecutors said the saleswoman, identified as RJ, 28, repeated the scanning process several times, using different scanners, and each time they were shown to be fake.
RJ informed her superior, who came to the shop, looked over the money and called police, records showed.
When police arrested KM, she denied knowing the bills were fake. Police found 102 fake notes in her possession, records showed.
Police said in court records that during the investigation, the suspect confessed to possessing fake currency but denied attempting to use or distribute it.
A forensics report separately confirmed the bills were fake.
KM's defence lawyer asked to cross-examine RJ.
The court will reconvene on March 28 to listen to her testimony.
salamir@thenational.ae
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How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Neil Thomson – THE BIO
Family: I am happily married to my wife Liz and we have two children together.
Favourite music: Rock music. I started at a young age due to my father’s influence. He played in an Indian rock band The Flintstones who were once asked by Apple Records to fly over to England to perform there.
Favourite book: I constantly find myself reading The Bible.
Favourite film: The Greatest Showman.
Favourite holiday destination: I love visiting Melbourne as I have family there and it’s a wonderful place. New York at Christmas is also magical.
Favourite food: I went to boarding school so I like any cuisine really.
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
