DUBAI // A businessman was in court on Wednesday for allegedly defrauding an Emirati out of Dh2.5 million.
Prosecutors said trader M A, 46, sealed a deal with the Indian defendant, F S, 37, in March last year to buy second-hand pipes and pumps worth Dh10m.
“I paid him Dh2.5m with a cheque and I was to pay him the balance after the delivery, but he failed to deliver and the deal was cancelled. I asked him to repay me the money,” said the Emirati.
“He did not and brought a woman with him he claimed to be his wife, who signed a letter of acknowledgment that F S had taken the money and will repay soon.”
Later, after deciding to take legal action against the Indian, the accused presented documents stating that the cheque given to him was an upfront payment from a total of Dh20m to come from the Emirati for allegedly renting a building from the defendant.
“These documents are forgeries and the cheque was for the business deal, which we cancelled,” said the Emirati.
The Indian was referred to prosecutors, who charged him with forging a leasing contract, forging a rental letter in which he stated M A had rented a building from him in return for Dh20m, and forging an undertaking that the information in the documents was true.
He was also charged with using the forged documents.
Prosecutors said he had forged the documents by amending the information in them and by adding his signature.
The Indian denied the charges in court and said a man named Mohammed had provided him with the documents.
The next hearing will be on December 6.
salamir@thenational.ae
Scorebox
Dubai Sports City Eagles 7 Bahrain 88
Eagles
Try: Penalty
Bahrain
Tries: Gibson 2, Morete 2, Bishop 2, Bell 2, Behan, Fameitau, Sanson, Roberts, Bennett, Radley
Cons: Radley 4, Whittingham 5
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Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
The squad traveling to Brazil:
Faisal Al Ketbi, Ibrahim Al Hosani, Khalfan Humaid Balhol, Khalifa Saeed Al Suwaidi, Mubarak Basharhil, Obaid Salem Al Nuaimi, Saeed Juma Al Mazrouei, Saoud Abdulla Al Hammadi, Taleb Al Kirbi, Yahia Mansour Al Hammadi, Zayed Al Kaabi, Zayed Saif Al Mansoori, Saaid Haj Hamdou, Hamad Saeed Al Nuaimi. Coaches Roberto Lima and Alex Paz.
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
