Dubai: A woman employee of a global satellite TV channel has been accused of slandering her colleague by saying she was not present at her office desk because she was having sex with her boyfriend.

The Pakistani colleague was away from her desk making coffee at the office canteen and when she returned to her desk, she was told by workmates that the 35-year-old Indian employee had slandered her behind her back in November.

Two female workmates told the Pakistani colleague, a consultant, that the Indian said she was not at her desk because she was busy having sex with her boyfriend, according to records.

Following a criminal complaint the consultant’s lawyer lodged before the Dubai Public Prosecution, the 35-year-old Indian employee was accused of verbally slandering her Pakistani colleague.

When she appeared before the Dubai Misdemeanours Court, the accused pleaded not guilty. “This is a fabricated allegation and it’s illogical ... the complainant claims to have been slandered on a Friday, which is a weekend. My client was not even present in the office,” the suspect’s lawyer, Ali Mosabah Dahi, argued before the presiding judge.

An Egyptian trainee, who was interning at the satellite TV when the alleged incident happened, told prosecutors that she overheard the suspect telling a Lebanese workmate that the claimant was having sex with her boyfriend.

The complainant testified before prosecutors that a co-worker informed her that while she was not at her desk, someone asked about her (Pakistani woman’s) whereabouts, and the suspect responded orally ‘she was busy having sex with her boyfriend’.

Advocate Dahi refuted the claimant’s allegations: “This case lacks any subordinate or material evidence. It was all based on hearsay and unconfirmed chats between employees of the same office. The claimant’s allegations are all fabricated and baseless ... she testified before police and prosecution investigations that she, herself, was not present when the alleged incident happened. The case file is full of contradictions especially that prosecutors’ accusation was based on a witness who told the complainant that she had overheard the suspect slandering her before someone else. Besides, the claimant lodged her criminal complaint before prosecutors four days after the alleged incident ... this proves that she was not serious about it.”

A ruling will be heard soon.