Dubai court jails and fines European for embezzling Dhs600,000
- 14 Apr 2025
Dubai Misdemeanor Court sentenced a European to one month in absentia to be followed by deportation and fined him Dhs600,000 for embezzling the same amount of the fine that he received from an Arab female doctor under a power of attorney following a partnership agreement between them to set up a medical centre.
The case dated back to May last year when a female doctor reported to the police that the defendant had defrauded her and embezzled Dhs600,000 from her, adding that he claimed to be working on setting up a medical centre that would include several specialties at a cost of Dhs7 million.
The doctor said that the defendant asked her to participate in setting up the medical centre, after making her believe that he was working on setting up it with other partners.
The victim stated in the interrogations that she met the defendant during a medical exhibition and conference held in Dubai, where he deceived her by offering her a partnership in a medical centre.
He asked her to transfer Dhs600,000 of the partnership cost, provided that she would complete the amount to Dhs1 million after he obtained a licence to practise the profession from the relevant authorities, she added.
She transferred Dhs400,000 as a down payment and later Dhs200,000 to the defendant’s bank account, the doctor said, adding that he then began to procrastinate and refrained from taking any practical steps to implement the agreement. He also refused to return the funds or complete the partnership procedures, prompting her to file an official complaint with the competent authorities.
Investigations showed that the defendant seized the money and transferred it to his personal account without any real intention of implementing the partnership project, which constituted a breach of trust. Inferences and bank transfers confirmed the defendant's involvement in embezzling the doctor’s funds.
The case papers indicated that the elements of the crime of embezzlement were clearly present, as the defendant received the funds under a power of attorney and then appropriated them for himself, causing material harm to the doctor, in clear violation of the laws in force in the country.