6 expats cleared of embezzling Dh929,000 from workplace in Dubai

Dubai - The case was filed by the company's Emirati owner at the Naif Police Station in March 2018.

Six Chinese expats have been cleared by a Dubai court of breach of trust and embezzlement charges.
The Dubai Court of Misdemeanours has recently cleared the defendants, including women, of the charge of embezzling over Dh929,000 from a travel and tourism agency where they worked.
The case was filed by the company's Emirati owner at the Naif Police Station in March 2018. During the public prosecution investigation, he said that the defendants worked for him in different positions. In his lawsuit, he alleged that they embezzled a total of Dh929,000 from the revenues of activities which had not been listed in the official tour programme deal struck with a Chinese company that was in charge of bringing in tourists to his business in Dubai. Those activities included restaurants and safari trips. Their costs were estimated after approval by a manager.
The complainant told the prosecution investigator: "The financial discrepancies were discovered when my company sent bills to claim our dues on those activities from the Chinese company. That company then replied that there were details which were not part of the deal but still the groups of tourists, sent by the Chinese company, were made to pay for.
"We then appointed a consultative auditor. After running an internal probe, he drew up a report, in which he concluded that the defendants embezzled the said amounts."
Acting on behalf of the defendants, Egyptian lawyer Hani Hammouda from Kefah Al Zaabi Firm for Advocacy and Legal Consultancy requested the court to assign an auditing expert from the Financial Control Department. Consequently, the court met his demand.
"The court-appointed expert proved that there was no such embezzlement. There was no proof that my clients collected any amounts from any party, whether by or without agreements. All the claims by the company's owner were baseless and untrue."
The court has dismissed the civil lawsuit. The acquittal ruling has become final as no appeal was filed within the legal deadline.
mary@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai