Sentence reduced to fine for 2 Singaporeans in UAE
The two Singaporeans arrested in the United Arab Emirates may be returning home in time to spend Hari Raya Haji with their families.
Initially jailed for a year for cross-dressing, they made an appeal, which was heard on Sunday.
Their sentence was reduced to a 10,000 dirham (S$3,690) fine each and deportation, an official in the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department told a local newspaper.
Fashion photographer Muhammad Fadli Abdul Rahman, 26, and Nur Qistina Fitriah Ibrahim, 37, were arrested for wearing women's clothes and behaving indecently at a shopping mall on Aug 9.
Nur is a transgender known to friends as Fifi, but is listed as a man in identification documents because he has not gone for sex reassignment surgery.
The men will return to Singapore tomorrow or Thursday if all goes well, said Ms Jocelyn Teo, one of two Singaporeans who started a crowdfunding effort to help them in a Facebook update yesterday.
They raised more than $26,000 to pay legal fees and other costs for their appeal against the sentence.
A telegraphic transfer was made to lawyers in Abu Dhabi last week.
Mr Fadli's family has received the good news from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ms Teo said.
His family expressed gratitude and excitement for the latest outcome and are waiting for confirmation of their return date from the authorities.
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