A revenue officer who tried to coerce a company owner into offering him a Dh100,000 bribe in return for reducing a fine has had his jail term cut.
The 28-year-old trickster, who worked at Emirates Post Office in Dubai, told the businessman that his firm had been fined Dh2.4 million for manipulating its finances.
He told the man he could reduce the fine to Dh400,000 in exchange for a Dh100,000 payment.
But the 43-year-old Indian, knowing there were no irregularities, instead contacted police.
It was found that no fine had been imposed on the company.
The incident took place last May.
The Jordanian defendant was convicted of seeking bribes at Dubai Criminal Court last October and handed a one-year prison term and a Dh100,000 fine.
The sentence was reduced to three months on appeal, but he must still pay the full amount of the fine.
The target of the bribe attempt said he had never met the man before.
“The accused told me that he checked our books and discovered irregularities and that we have been concealing some shipments in order to avoid fee payments,” said the owner.
A sting operation was set up, with the owner wearing a wire and bringing Dh100,000 in marked notes provided by police for an agreed meeting with the guilty party.
Police watched on the transaction took place and arrested the man.
The offender will be deported once he has served his prison sentence.
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.
Recycle Reuse Repurpose
New central waste facility on site at expo Dubai South area to handle estimated 173 tonne of waste generated daily by millions of visitors
Recyclables such as plastic, paper, glass will be collected from bins on the expo site and taken to the new expo Central Waste Facility on site
Organic waste will be processed at the new onsite Central Waste Facility, treated and converted into compost to be re-used to green the expo area
Of 173 tonnes of waste daily, an estimated 39 per cent will be recyclables, 48 per cent organic waste and 13 per cent general waste.
About 147 tonnes will be recycled and converted to new products at another existing facility in Ras Al Khor
Recycling at Ras Al Khor unit:
Plastic items to be converted to plastic bags and recycled
Paper pulp moulded products such as cup carriers, egg trays, seed pots, and food packaging trays
Glass waste into bowls, lights, candle holders, serving trays and coasters
Aim is for 85 per cent of waste from the site to be diverted from landfill
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
