Dubai court jails man for buying vehicle worth Dhs268,000 with a forged cheque

The Dubai Misdemeanors Court sentenced an Arab to one year in jail to be followed by deportation and fined him Dhs268,000 for defrauding the owner of a vehicle worth the same amount of the fine, using a forged cheque, and then exporting and selling the same to an Asian in a neighbouring country.

The Asian buyer was acquitted.

Earlier, the first defendant contacted the owner of the vehicle, who had offered it for sale via a website, expressing his desire to purchase it and paid for it with a cheque. After signing the paperwork and receiving the vehicle, the cheque was found to be forged.

According to investigations, the defendant intended to export the vehicle and sell it in a neighbouring country, where the Asian second defendant bought it based on official papers and documents proving that it was owned by the first defendant.

The owner of the vehicle in the interrogations said that he tried to cash the cheque but discovered that it was forged.

He then tried to contact the buyer to recover the vehicle or its price but to no avail, as his phone was switched off. This prompted the seller to file an official report with the police.

On interrogation, the Asian suspect denied all knowledge that the vehicle had been fraudulently acquired, pleading that he had purchased it legally, based on official procedures and documents including an export certificate issued by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).

Attorney Musa Al Ameri, representing the Asian defendant, stated that his client completed the purchase based on official documents, most notably an export certificate issued by the RTA.

He also provided WhatsApp conversations documenting the defendant’s negotiations regarding the vehicle’s price and the amount paid to buy it.

Al Amri added that his client had no criminal record, had been legally residing in the neighbouring country for 20 years and worked as an engineer and project manager.

The court based its judgment on the absence of any evidence that the Asian defendant had any knowledge of the illegal possession of the vehicle, adding that he acted in good faith and that the purchase was conducted through official documents.

The court hereby acquitted the Asian defendant of the charge levelled against him but convicted the first defendant, who admitted to fraud.