Woman pleads mental illness after Dh13M embezzlement

abu dhabi — The lawyer of a 33-year-old woman accused of embezzling more than Dh13 million from her workplace and spending the cash on a man who had promised to marry her asked court to take his client for a mental examination.

The Abu Dhabi Criminal Court of First Instance heard that the Emirati woman used advantage of her position as the head of the accounts department at a banking institution in Abu Dhabi to steal the cash.

Court documents stated that the woman allegedly spent the stolen cash on the 26-year-old man, from a GCC nation, in paying his bank loans, buying him luxury cars and special number plates, buying expensive gifts like branded watches and clothes, and paying his luxurious trips to Europe while travelling in business class.

The alleged fiance, who was already married and was reportedly lying to the woman that he would marry her, is also on trial. Police said they had recovered part of stolen cash through seizing the gifts like vehicles that were bought using the misappropriated funds.

At the previous hearing, the woman admitted to embezzling the funds from her workplace during the period from August 2016 to April 2017. In the latest hearing on Wednesday, the woman’s lawyer insisted on the need to have his client taken for a mental examination to establish her mental status because he thought she had psychological problems at the time she committed the alleged crimes.

“My client should be presented before a medical committee specialised in mental illness to examine her behaviour and mental status before the trial continues,” the lawyer asked court.

The lawyer also argued that the exact amount said to have been embezzled by her client was not disclosed by the bank. He also asked that documents or a statement showing part of the stolen money which the authorities were able to recover be presented to court. The trial was adjourned until October.

ismail@khaleejtimes.com