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Reprobe ordered into Tamweel graft case

A Court of First Instance bench, presided by Judge Mohammed Jamal Kamel, on Tuesday ordered the prosecution to reinvestigate a Tamweel corruption case involving two of its former top executives as per Article 17 of the Criminal Procedures Law.

The bench, which has been holding trial in the case since September 2009, wanted the prosecution to reinvestigate in the light of some new details and take action in this regard so that the new charges and a new arraignment sheet would be prepared. The two Emirati former Tamweel top executives are accused of embezzling more than Dh24 million of public funds through illegal commissions while being assigned to sell plots of land in Jumeirah Lake Towers. The duo is also charged with embezzling Dh18 million in illegal commissions while assigned with selling plots in Dubai Maritime City. Two Pakistanis (one of them being the owner of a private realtor) and a Ukrainian are standing trial in the same case on the charge of criminal complicity.

Article 17 of the Criminal Procedures Law stipulates that a case should be returned to the prosecution for reinvestigation if it turned out during the trial that there is any evidence, new relevant details, or element of incrimination or other accomplices that were not mentioned in the arraignment sheet. The case papers show that in 2008, the two former Tamweel top executives sought the help of the private firm and other real estate companies to sell plots of land, a public service they were assigned with doing at the time, and hide the commissions they would collect unlawfully later.

One of the Pakistanis, who was a manager at the private firm, allegedly collected Dh2 million in illegal commissions for securing the sale of the plots for the two former executives.

The other defendants reportedly admitted to the Public Prosecution to receiving commissions from the former Tamweel top executives for helping them secure buyers for plots of land.

mary@khaleejtimes.com