Expat forges tenancy contract for wife’s visa

abu dhabi — An expatriate went on trial accused of forging a tenancy contract to obtain a residence visa, so he could bring his wife to the UAE.

The Abu Dhabi Criminal Court on Monday heard that the Syrian man had enclosed the forged lease contract that also had a stamp from the municipality, with the visa application, and submitted it to the Abu Dhabi Residency and Foreigners Affairs Department.

The wife was staying in Syria and the man wanted her to join him in Abu Dhabi. Official court documents stated that the department’s employee processed the visa and he didn’t notice that the contract was forged.

When the wife reached here, and after completing the fitness test and processing the Emirates ID, the man went back to the immigration office so he could have his wife’s residence visa stamped in the passport.

Officers however arrested him for submitting a forged official document. Investigations had revealed that the man’s tenancy contract was a forged one and the stamp on the contract was not in use.

Prosecutors charged the Syrian with forgery and using a forged document to obtain a visa. He denied the forgery charges but admitted to obtaining the tenancy contract from a man working at a typing centre in the capital, after paying him Dh3,000. He gave the details of the typing centre where he obtained the tenancy contract.

The judge ordered that the aforementioned typing centre staff be brought to court for the next hearing. The trial was adjourned until September.