Salesman fined Dhs235,000 over rental scam

Hamza M Sengendo, Staff Reporter

A salesman who forged paperwork to swindle parking lots from an Emirati businessman will have to pay a Dhs235, 500 fine, the Dubai Appeals Court ruled.

The Asian salesman, 50, with the help of a compatriot colleague, 45, counterfeited a tenancy contract registration certificate thenlogged onto a land department’s website and filled in counterfeit data.

The data showed him as the tenant. Both faked the businessman’s signature on the tenancy contract.They presented the documents to an economic development department and obtained a trade licence.

The Dubai Criminal Court sentenced them to six months in prison plus deportation and ordered them to jointly pay a Dhs150, 000 fine besides paying Dhs21, 000 in civil compensation to the victim.

The Appeals Court upheld the lower court’s ruling. Prosecutors sought a tougher punishment. The juryhas modified the salesman’s punishmentby slapping him with a Dhs150, 000 additional fine.

In prosecution records, the businessman, 47, explained that he rented out two pieces of land to an Afghan man whose contract expired later. The salesman who was the man’s friend asked to rent them.

He said he wanted torun them as paid parking lots.“I accepted to rent the plots to him for a period of one year and four months. One of them was for Dhs1.1m and the other for Dhs500, 000.

“The money was to be paid by hisbusiness associate.On the tenancy contract, we mentionedthe associate as the tenant. The trade licence was issued in his name,’ explained the businessman.

“The associate gave me eight cheques each worth Dhs200, 000.”The businessman cashed the first cheque. “When it was time to cash the second one I discovered there were no funds in the account.

“I went to the plots and found the salesman there. He told me his associate was sick.He was allegedly abroad undergoing treatment. I waited for his return. It was taking long. They kept stalling me,” he said.

He went to the land department and discovered both counterfeited documents to swindle and use the plots.

Recently, a detainee rubbed chilli in a policeman’s eyes in a dramatic scene that saw other unruly detainees lock up a detention facility warden.

The Arab defendant, 23, was sentenced six months in the dock for having rubbed chilli in the eyes of a Sudanese policeman inside Al Barsha Police Station. He beat him and pushed him, prosecutors revealed on Aug.4.