ABU DHABI // A woman accused of human trafficking told a court she was trying to find a husband for her cousin.

“A friend of mine told me she knew a man who was looking for a wife, so I proposed my cousin to her,” the Uzbek woman told the Criminal Court.

The judge asked why her friend had paid her Dh150,000, and she said it was a dowry. “The money was for the bride to buy a house with,” she said.

The judge asked why she was involved at all and she said she was a mediator.

Her lawyer said the woman’s cousin knew of the marriage proposal but was pretending to be a victim of forced prostitution.

A verdict is expected on November 29.

hdajani@thenational.ae