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7 on trial in Abu Dhabi for Dh10 million fraud

Abu Dhabi - The appellants from third to seventh were winners and they had savings accounts in the bank and certificates that allowed them to enter the raffle, but the indictment sheet was void of any clear charges or evidence that they were involved in the case.

Seven GCC citizens and Arab expatriates, including a woman, went on trial at the Abu Dhabi Court of Appeals after being charged with embezzlement by the Public Prosecution for having illegally possessed Dh10 million that the Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank had allocated for winners of the Ghina Savings Account promotion raffle draw.
Defence attorney Tariq Al Sarkal said: "The bank's report assigned the section the duties of preparing the files for the contenders, and the role of the second suspect was confined to announcing the name of the winner the management of the bank would provide him. This meant he had nothing to do with the competition, nor the draw or picking the name of the winner."
The appellants from third to seventh were winners and they had savings accounts in the bank and certificates that allowed them to enter the raffle, but the indictment sheet was void of any clear charges or evidence that they were involved in the case.
He said the fourth suspect was convinced by he fifth suspect (his wife) to take part in the competition, so he would have two chances of winning instead of only one.
"There was no evidence provided against her, but only the statements of the prosecutors, which drew a suspicion in the process of dividing the amounts of the prize, thereby, the public prosecution had failed to give evidence," the lawyer said.
He said that it took the investigating officer five days to gather evidence and attribute it to the suspects, and that he had not accessed the electronic system of the bank to find out how the lists of the contenders were made, nor did he interrogate bank employees whether they were involved in the case.
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