UAE jails man who forged marriage certificate to live with his girlfriend

In the UAE, many couples manage to get away with cohabiting, even though it's something that's strictly illegal in the country.

However, a Sharjah-based man wasn't so lucky and has been charged after forging a marriage certificate in a bid to have his lover live with him.

Court records stated that the African defendant submitted the fake marriage contract to the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Sharjah.

After he was found out, he told police that he "forged the document so he could bring his lover to the UAE," Khaleej Times reported.

Although the man initially confessed to forging the contract, he later retracted his statement and denied all charges in court.

He claimed that when he obtained the certificate from his home country, he wasn't aware of the fact that it was fake. After he argued this in court, he was given time to submit a valid contract, but never did.

The defendant has since been sentenced to three months in jail and will also be deported after serving his time.

A couple living together outside of marriage is considered illegal across the UAE as well as other Gulf nations. The country also prohibits sex outside of marriage and often jails couples found violating this rule.

This certainly isn't the first time a person lands in legal trouble over cohabitation in the UAE. Earlier this year, a woman was deported from the country because she failed to report a cohabiting couple who shared an apartment with her.

The defendant's roommates were also charged in the case after being found guilty of "beautifying sin". They both received one-year jail sentences in addition to deportation orders.