DUBAI // A fraudster racked up more than Dh1.2 million in unpaid Etisalat bills, a court heard yesterday.
MY, 23, from Pakistan, forged labour cards and salary certificates so he could apply for 12 sim cards from the company, then ran up bills quoted as Dh1.273m by the phone company, prosecutors told the Criminal Court.
He applied for the sim cards in January 2011.
SA, 36, an Emirati accountant at Etisalat, said he became suspicious after trying to verify the salary certificates with the company that supposedly issued them.
“The manager said that none of the people worked at his company and that the certificates must have been forged,” said the accountant, who contacted police.
Police and prosecution said that the defendant confessed during interrogations.
In court he confessed to four counts of forgery and one charge of using forged documents, but denied causing the company monetary losses.
“I sold the sim cards after obtaining them and those who bought them caused the losses,” he told the court.
A verdict is expected on October 27.
salamir@thenational.ae
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hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
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