Three lose appeal against Dhs4.542m case

Hamza M Sengendo, Staff Reporter

Three Asian men teamed up with a utilities department’s administrative officer and his cohorts to defraud the department of Dhs4.542m worth security deposits. They have lost the case.

The trio –a businessman, 36, office boy, 33, and countryman, 38- ganged up with the Asian administrative officer, a watchman, a salesman, a trader and a driver to counterfeit documents and e-records. They swindled cash to the tune of Dhs4, 542, 432 between May.12.2014 and Mar.8 last year, prosecutors explained to the Criminal Court on Oct.8 last year. A complaint was filed at Al Rifa’a Police Station.

The officer managed to flee abroad after begging the department’s management for an emergency leave on grounds he was in a hurry to meet his mother who was allegedly in critical condition.

Police arrested the businessman and the office boy. The rest managed to flee abroad. They later apprehended the countryman. The Criminal Court sentenced them to three years plus deportation.

It sentenced the rest in absentia to the same punishment. In addition, it slapped all the gang members with a Dhs4, 542, 432 fine. The businessman, office boy and countryman have lost mercy pleas.

During prosecution and court questionings, both the businessman and the office boy acknowledged their roles in the forgery and fraud, and each one presented a memo in which he sought leniency.

On the record, the officer was working in a section tasked with handling clients’ applications and processing transactions of refunding security deposits made on real estates and residential units.

In abuse of his duties, he illicitly accessed the department’s e-system and copied data of client companies and individuals (names, account numbers, amounts, stamps, officials’ signatures and passport and ID copies).

He divulged the data to the businessman to forge Power of Attorney letters (POA) showing that the companies and individuals tasked him with collecting the security deposit refunds on their behalf.

The officer taught the businessman statements and words to fill in the bogus POA letters. The businessman went to the department and presented forged documents to him or to unsuspecting employees.

He swindled Dhs2, 193, 729 through 1, 976 transactions that he fraudulently made on behalf of 27 client companies and individuals. He shared the swindled sum with the officer, investigations revealed.

The office boy similarly faked data in 97 transactions and shared Dhs88, 486 with the officer.