Dubai visitor offers Dh2 million bribe to cop at airport to release him

Dubai - He was arrested on suspicion of drug peddling.

A man, who offered Dh2 million to a narcotics officer as a bribe to release him, is standing trial at the Dubai Court of First Instance. 
Public prosecution records show that the 30-year-old man, an Asian holding a visit visa, was arrested at the Dubai International Airport on suspicion of drug peddling. During interrogation by the anti-narcotics police officer at the airport, the visitor offered a Dh2 million bribe to the officer to set him free. The officers detained him and referred the man to the public prosecution on a bribery charge. 
They took the necessary action regarding the drugs.
The incident happened on October 25 last year. "I was interrogating the accused at the airport about a drug peddling incident when he offered me a bribe," said an anti-narcotics police sergeant. "He offered the bribe in return for releasing him, which is in violation of the legal regular procedures. As I was surprised by his offer, I asked him to talk further about it."
The sergeant told the prosecutor that the defendant's offer was to pay him Dh2 million in exchange of setting him free. 
"I let him talk and made him believe that I was okay with his offer. He asked me about my bank account details saying that he would get someone in his home country deposit the amount in my account."   
The sergeant placed the defendant in detention and told him he would think about his offer. He then informed both the lieutenant in charge and the director of the narcotics department.
The lieutenant corroborated the statement of the sergeant during the public prosecution investigation.
The case file did not have details about the drugs about which the accused was being questioned when he offered the bribe. 
A ruling will be issued on August 30.
mary@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai