Salesman on Trial for Bid 
to Bribe Public Officer

The salesman, 38, an Indian national allegedly offered the bribe in order to secure the return of the fake goods the inspector had confiscated, in addition to the labour card of one of his workers.

An Emirati lieutenant told the Public Prosecution that he was a part of the unit that arrested the defendant on December 15 last year. He said he had earlier received a call from the salesman who worked at a shop in Al Ras in Deira that sells fake products. The lieutenant said the defendant wanted to recover some goods that had been seized from him and offered to pay Dh25 for every piece. He thus agreed to hand him the document that said that the seized products were fake, and the labour card, all for Dh65,000. Then, the lieutenant, along with other officers, got a warrant from the Public Prosecution to arrest the salesman upon handing the bribe to the inspector of the DED.

A unit went along with the inspector to meet the defendant in a coffee shop in Bin Sougat Centre. However, the unit officers sat at another table while the inspector was striking the deal with the defendant. As soon as the defendant handed over a cheque worth Dh40,000 and Dh25,000 in cash to the inspector, the unit officers arrested him.

During the police investigation, the defendant admitted to offering the bribe to the inspector. He admitted that he was trading in fake products including watches, bags, sunglasses and wallets. Products worth Dh80,000 had been seized from him one week before the day he allegedly offered the bribe to the DED inspector. The labour card of one his co-workers was also seized.

mary@khaleejtimes.com