DUBAI // A university worker who leaked 15 examination papers to a student for Dh7,500, was on Monday convicted by Dubai Criminal Court and sentenced to six months in jail.
R K, a 29-year-old Indian information technology technician, divulged the questions to A A, a 23-year-old Omani, who denied a charge of criminal complicity but was also convicted and given a similar term.
In June last year, A A, a media and journalism student at the university, approached R K, whose job involved copying and printing examination questions for faculty members.
The student offered him Dh500 for each examination paper and the latter accepted.
The Omani would specify the examination papers he wanted and the IT worker would take photographs of them and send them via WhatsApp messaging service.
The pair agreed to meet twice in Sharjah to hand over the money – in two instalments – although the Indian was arrested a few days after taking the money.
The dean of the university, Egyptian M A, 63, testified that the IT worker was also responsible for the surveillance cameras on campus.
“He supervises the cameras, the university’s email and also the printing of the exams with the faculty members,” said the dean, adding that the university received a tip-off on June 1 last year that some exam papers had been leaked.
The university then changed the questions for the exams and investigated all the IT workers.
“R K was very nervous and tense. He then confessed to the whole thing,” said the dean.
M A said that the IT worker had then signed a document detailing his corruption.
Prosecutors said they found 103 images of exam papers on the WhatsApp accounts of the pair.
Both defendants will be deported after completing their jail terms.
salamir@thenational.ae