A UAE-based mother of two is currently on trial in Sharjah for being caught alone with a man in a hotel room, Khaleej Times reported.
The Moroccan woman was previously sentenced to three months in jail because of the incident which dates back to 2016. She was absent in court at the time and has now been granted bail as the case continues.
According to the English-language publication, a Sharjah Criminal Court charged the defendant with "beautifying sin", because she was caught meeting the man who is unrelated to her.
The woman's defense states she did nothing wrong
The woman's defense lawyer, Noora Al Hajiri, told the court that even though her client was in "khulwa" or a "situation when two unrelated members of the opposite sex are found alone in a closed place," she had not done anything wrong.
Al Hajiri said that on the day of the incident, the defendant met the man in a hotel room to discuss selling him a car.
Police then received an anonymous tip about the incident and subsequently raided the hotel room she had entered. She was arrested without permission from public prosecution.
The lawyer also explained that the woman had undergone a medical examination that proved she had not "committed any kind of illegal act with the man."
In her statement to the judge, Al Hajiri asked that her client is acquitted and demanded that the court lifts a deportation order passed against her because her children hold the Emirati nationality and she cannot leave them alone in the country.
The defendant, who was married to a UAE national, pleaded not guilty in the Sharjah court. She has incessantly denied any wrongdoing in the case, which will now continue to be heard in court on March 21.
Privately spending time with a man or woman who's not a relative can get people in trouble in the UAE
Under UAE laws, the act is considered an offense because it violates sharia law. If committed in public, it is usually "punishable by a minimum one year in jail or a fine followed by deportation, for expats".
If it doesn't happen in public, a couple caught together can still face a fine or jail sentence. Several cases of couples facing legal consequences for meeting in public or private have been reported in recent months.
Those include the case of a couple who was sentenced to one year in jail for dating outside of marriage. Even though it is possible to get caught in such situations in the UAE, thousands of couples still date outside of marriage in the country.