Salesman on trial for bribing civil defence officer in Dubai

Dubai - The salesman's boss has been charged with aiding and abetting in the bribery.

A salesman stood trial at the Dubai Court of First Instance after he allegedly offered a Dh50,000 bribe to a civil defence lieutenant.
The public prosecution records show that the 31-year-old Moroccan man, who worked for a company that imports fire safety equipment, made contact with the lieutenant between March 13 and 19. He solicited the officer's help in expediting the issuance of approval licences of the imported equipment and making the process happen within a couple of days rather than a couple of weeks. Usually, there are routine check-ups by specialised engineers from the civil defence prevention and safety department before issuing licence.
The salesman's Pakistani boss, a 52-year-old general manager, has been charged with aiding and abetting in the bribery. The case was registered at Al Qusais police station.
The lieutenant from the general directorate of civil defence said the salesman first approached him at 11:00am on March 13. "He introduced himself as a PRO from a fire safety equipment import enterprise. He said his company applied for licences to approve the sale and installation of new equipment and also for renewal of other expired licences. He wanted that the transactions be expedited within a few days rather than the normal procedure that would take about three weeks."
As the officer told him it was impossible as such equipment needed to be checked out first by their engineers, the salesman then insisted on having the officer's mobile number, showing his interest in inviting him to parties where they would meet girls. The accused also invited the officer to visit Morocco, expressing his desire to pay up for the trip expenses. The lieutenant then got in contact with the civil defence control department and reported the defendant.
The officer was instructed to make the PRO believe he would consider the offer. Shortly later, he received a phone call from the accused offering him Dh50,000, which he later lowered to Dh20,000 for the said solicited favours.
The salesman was arrested by the police at 11:00am on March 19 in a sting operation. He was caught red-handed at a centre in Al Qusais, right after paying Dh20,000 to the officer and collecting several licences.
The trial will continue on July 10.
mary@khaleejtimes.com