Legal consultant goes on trial for ‘stealing client data’

His duties [as a legal consultant] included reviewing files, receiving cheques, and filing and following up on complaints at the police station.”

Emirati trader

dubai — A legal consultant is facing trial in Dubai for allegedly stealing a hard disk of business and client files and embezzling cheques worth Dh136,000.

Charged with workplace theft at the Court of First Instance, the 35-year-old Egyptian reportedly stole the hard disk that contained some 20142018 business files of the company, which offers claims settlement services, according to public prosecution records.

An Emirati trader, 50, said the defendant had worked for him for four years. “His duties [as a legal consultant] included reviewing files, receiving cheques, and filing and following up on complaints at the police station. Before his visa expired, he wanted to switch to another sponsor on a visa with the same professional title,” he said.

In his testimony, the trader also said that upon going through the books, he found seven cheques worth Dh136,000 that the defendant had encashed without authorisation and did not deposit at the company’s bank account.

At some point, he discovered that the accused had stolen a hard disk that stored the corporation’s cases, client data, and other business files and e-mails logged from 2014 to April 2018.

The consultant also allegedly deleted other documents that were stored in the trader’s laptop and tampered with surveillance cameras to cover his tracks.

The complainant reported enormous material and moral losses after the theft.

The trial is adjourned to October 16.