Hearing on Fraud Case against Former Minister Resumes

DUBAI - The trial of 51-year-old Dr. Khalifa Bakhit Al Felasi, UAE former Minister of State, accused of breach of trust and fraud, resumed on Monday in the Court of Misdemeanors.

By Mary Nammour

Published: Wed 11 Feb 2009, 1:09 AM

Last updated: Thu 2 Apr 2015, 9:37 AM

Hussain Al Jazeeri, the Counsel representing Dr. Al Felasi gave a long defense plea in which he termed the Lebanese plaintiff Mayssoun Jamal to be prosecuting the minister out of “devilish motives”.

He argued that the Lebanese businesswoman who accuses the former minister of swindling waited for three years before suing him.

The case revolves around a cession bond, which the plaintiff alleged that the former minister coerced her into signing to relinquish her shares in the Dubai-based Global Information Technology, which she inherited from her brother Hassan Jamal.

Al Jazeeri said that the plaintiff signed the cession agreement after she found a paper signed by her brother and Dr. Al Felasi, which stated that the latter was only a paid sponsor and does not have anything to do with transactions or profits.

“She is a lawyer. She has legal consultants and is aware of all the legal loopholes and angles pertaining to the business she inherited. She also had access to the financial statements and budget of the company. She is greedy and malicious in her allegations against my client,” argued Al Jazeeri.

He said that Al Felasi and Mayssoun were friendly.

“She sent to him a bouquet of flowers and a congratulation note on the day he was appointed a minister. Jamal is accusing my client of not telling her about a real estate project in Al Qusais. That land, on which her late brother erected buildings, is owned by the government and thus cannot be the ownership of anyone.”

Plea for Innocence

The defense counsel pleaded for the innocence of the former minister as well as his 26-year-old son who is facing complicity charge of fraud and breach of trust.

Al Jazeeri underscored the good will of Dr. Al Felasi.

“When the late Hassan Jamal was ill in America my client took good care of the company and the business. He gave the employees their salaries on time. He made transactions with companies abroad. He even transferred about Dh1.5 million to the account of Mayssoun Jamal.”

Jamal has alleged that after the death of her brother, the founder of the Global Information Technology Co. the former minister made a settlement with the family on the assets of the Global Information Technology Company.

The basis of that settlement is that he was a partner and holder of 51 per cent of the shares.

The plaintiff says she later found out that he was just a paid sponsor rather than a partner.

The American director general of the company, 44, and the Indian financial director, 48, are also accused of assisting in swindling the Lebanese woman. The next hearing is slated for Wednesday, February 11.

· mary@khaleejtimes.com