Associated Press
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A Dubai court has given a three-year jail sentence to a self-professed African wizard who claimed he could make millions of dollars rain from the sky in exchange for a modest payment to genies.
The court Wednesday also ordered deportation for the man, a blacksmith from Chad, after he serves his time.
An undercover police officer testified that the man began a ceremony and asked for a “tip” of 200 dirham ($54) for genies to shower down $25 million last year.
Rain is a major topic each winter in the United Arab Emirates, where farmers and others await the infrequent seasonal showers. This year, rain has been so scarce that the UAE’s president asked for mosques to offer special prayers for cloudbursts last month.