An American who helped a wealthy Kosovan family sell precious stones worth Dh5 million later tried to steal the money, a court has heard.
Dubai Criminal Court was told that the man, who has not been named, was approached to assist in the sale of the inherited gems two years ago.
After a buyer was found and the deal completed, however, the American allegedly forged his business partner’s signature to gain access to their joint account where the cash was held.
His efforts to take the money were only prevented when bank officials grew suspicious of his motives, it was claimed.
“We own a large collection of valuable gems,” a 31-year-old woman who represented the Kosovan family told the court.
“We agreed as a family to sell some of these expensive stones in order to help expand a factory in our city and provide more work opportunities to women who lost everything in the [Kosovo] war.”
In court, the American’s business partner said the man had attempted to steal the money from their joint account by forging his signature.
The bank’s operations manager also gave evidence at the hearing, saying the defendant had attempted to make himself the sole signatory on the joint account.
“During 2016 the accused came to see me at the bank alone and presented an official document issued by a court,” said the manager.
“He asked that his partner’s signature no longer be used and for his signature to be the only one recognised by the bank.”
The defendant is charged with illegally forging a number of documents as well as attempting to steal Dh5m.
In court he denied both charges, claiming instead that his business partner had framed him.
“The signature is mine but I absolutely did not sign on any documents related to this case,” he told judges.
The hearing was adjourned until November 7.
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What is cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying or online bullying could take many forms such as sending unkind or rude messages to someone, socially isolating people from groups, sharing embarrassing pictures of them, or spreading rumors about them.
Cyberbullying can take place on various platforms such as messages, on social media, on group chats, or games.
Parents should watch out for behavioural changes in their children.
When children are being bullied they they may be feel embarrassed and isolated, so parents should watch out for signs of signs of depression and anxiety
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
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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.
