UAE customs officer on trial for taking bribe

Abu Dhabi - Official court documents stated that the customs official also received fees paid to him by the firm for the service after forging a receipt.

A government employee went on trial for taking a bribe from a maritime firm in Abu Dhabi. The customs officer embezzled public funds by falsifying official documents. The Abu Dhabi Criminal Court of First Instance heard that the Emirati man accepted the bribe from a maritime company to verify their documents.

Official court documents stated that the customs official also received fees paid to him by the firm for the service after forging a receipt.

A witness, who headed the internal investigations at the customs department, said there was evidence that the employee completed transactions for the maritime company on behalf of the customs department, but he never declared the amount he charged.

"Based on that information, I requested for documents from the maritime company. When I checked them, I found out that they had some payment receipts from the customs department, copies of which were not available to the department or registered in the customs department's electronic system," said the witness.

He said investigations also showed that the employee had received a bribe from the maritime company.

After the internal investigations, the department immediately informed the security authorities concerned, who arrested the officer.