Man took dead brother's identity to get property, court told

His brother had purchased land in Dubai 40 years ago and still had legal rights to a house, prosecutors said.

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DUBAI // A 62-year-old man forged an identity confirmation letter from the Iranian Consulate in Dubai and pretended to be his dead brother to get a house from the Dubai Land and Property Department, a court was told this morning.

The Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance heard that RM, Iranian, claimed to be his brother AM, who was awaiting a home. He denied charges of forgery, use of forged documents and obtaining a house by defrauding official employees.

Records show RM forged the letter by providing witnesses to the consulate testifying he was his brother.

His niece AA, 35, said AM had purchased land 40 years ago. After he died, she went with her husband to check on the land in Satwa area and discovered that although her father had built a house there, the government had demolished it and promised her father a replacement in a different area.

She testified that she discovered RM had pretended to be her father, taking the replacement house and registering it under his son-in-law's name.

AA, who lives in Iran, told prosecutors that when her uncle requested a death certificate for her father she became suspicious and asked an Emirati friend to check into the matter.

salamir@thenational.ae