Man bribes Dubai civil defence official with Dh2,000, perfume

Dubai - He promised him a smartphone, and 'further deals' that would go up to Dh20,000.

A sales executive at a fire safety equipment company has been charged in the Court of First Instance with offering a bribe to a civil defence inspector.

According to public prosecution records, the 27-year-old Indian man sought the inspector's help in getting a safety certificate issued for a site that did not meet the fire safety norms.

The executive first promised to pay the inspector Dh2,500 and give him a smart phone worth Dh2,500. He later handed him Dh2,000 and a perfume worth Dh300.

The accused approached, called and met the inspector on April 8 and 9.

"The Dubai Municipality and the Department of Economic Development and others -- such as insurance companies -- request from their customers who own businesses, which are to be opened or already in place, to present preventive safety certificates. Those certificates are required to have a trading licence issued and should be obtained from the General Directorate of Civil Defense," the 27-year-old inspector told the prosecutor.

"Before issuing such certificates, a civil defence inspector should visit the site in the presence of the contractor and a technician or an engineer from the company that installed the safety equipment.

"I was at a restaurant when the accused approached me and asked for my help. He then said he would contact me later."

The defendant, who got the inspector's number from the list of inspectors in the system, kept sending him messages on WhatsApp.

"He talked about presents, including a smart phone, which would be the gift for my help. I informed my superior who reported the matter to the CID. I was instructed to meet the accused and help in catching him red-handed offering the bribe," the inspector said.

He met the accused around 4pm on April 9, in the parking lot of a shopping centre. "He showed me a transaction saying he needed my help. He said that the transaction was not processed after another inspector visited the site of the shop in Al Muhaisna and found it did not meet the safety conditions. He wanted me to get him that certificate issued without carrying out another inspection visit as the violations were not removed," the inspector said.

"He gave me Dh700 and a perfume telling me to follow him to Al Warqa where he handed me Dh1,300. He said there would be further deals between us in the future and there would be amounts up to Dh20,000 for certificates needed in inspections on gas installation at labour accommodations."

• Dubai