A Saudi man and his friend who falsely accused his ex-wife of adultery were sentenced to 80 lashes by a criminal court judge in the Gulf kingdom.
Their testimonies will also not be accepted in any court of justice because of the falsity of the accusation against an innocent person, according to Al Watan newspaper.
It said a man brought a case against his former wife at the Court of Civil Affairs, asking custody of the children one year after the couple had divorced.
There were several hearings, to which the man sent a representative instead of attending in person, who in the name of the husband, accused the woman of adultery.
The prosecutor was not satisfied with the evidence, the words of a third party who was claiming, instigated by the husband, that the former wife was not qualified to raise his children, according to the report.
The woman’s lawyer filed a lawsuit against the husband and his representative for accusing her of adultery in front of the judge.
The judge asked for witnesses to corroborate the man’s accusations. All the representative could say was that it was the husband’s words he was relaying, evidence that does not stand in a court of law.
The judge refused the evidences submitted by the two men, pointing out that in order to prove adultery, there is need of four witnesses or the woman’s confession, but the woman had completely denied it and the men had no other witnesses.
The women’s lawyer, Bader Al-Shatri said: “This judgment is the first of its kind; it should be a warning to anyone who tries to win a case through such twisted ways as smearing a women’s honor.”