Dubai Court of Appeal has ordered a man to pay the Dh13.5 million he swindled from a friend's business.
The court on Thursday upheld the verdict given by the Court of Misdemeanours in April, which found the man, 37, and his father, 72, guilty.
The judges were told the victim of the crime, an Iranian, opened a commercial mediation business in Dubai in March of last year and asked his friend to run it as he had to leave the UAE.
The friend, also from Iran, was offered a commission of between 2 and 5 per cent for each business deal.
“I had to return to Iran to run my other 20-year-old business and left him to run the one here. We have been family friends for more than 10 years,” the Iranian businessman said in court documents.
He said he returned to the emirate a few months later and found Dh13.5m was missing from the company's account.
“I wanted to buy a property and when I asked my friend for the money, he said he lost it in a digital currency deal,” he said.
He said he discovered the friend and his father received money from clients between March 17 and December 11 of last year but did not deposit it in the company’s account.
An audit confirmed the embezzlement and a report was filed with the police.
Payment receipts were submitted as proof to the court.
Judges were also given copies of text messages from the man’s wife in which she accepted the forgery committed by her husband and asked for time to repay.
The Dubai Court of Misdemeanours found the father and son guilty and fined them an amount equivalent to what they stole. They were also sentenced to one year in jail, to be followed by deportation.
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Explainer: Tanween Design Programme
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”
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