Broker loses appeal in Dh150k bribe case

dubai — A commercial broker, who was found guilty of offering a Dh150,000 bribe to a police officer to let him walk away following a villa drug raid, has lost his appeal against a threemonth jail term on Sunday.

The raid on the 27-year-old British expat’s villa in Jumeirah took place on November 13, 2017, and was carried out by officers from the Dubai Police anti-narcotics directorate.

In August, the Court of First Instance convicted the defendant and jailed him for three months and fined him Dh150,000. It also ordered his deportation. He had denied the charges in court. He appealed the primary court verdict but the Court of Appeals upheld it.

The anti-narcotics officer, who was offered the bribe, said during the public prosecution investigation he was assigned with two colleagues to search the defendant’s villa in Jumeirah.

He told the prosecutor the accused approached him after the search.

“I was sitting next to him in the patrol car when he offered to give me any amount of money I wanted if I let him go. I was surprised and did not respond to him. He offered to pay me Dh50,000, which he kept raising till Dh150,000.

“The accused then said he would give me the cash if I dropped him at the nearest bank.”The officer reported the defendant to the directorate shortly later.

The latter admitted during the prosecution investigation that he offered the on-duty officer the money in Al Mankhool area following his villa search. He said he possessed crystal meth and the reason behind his offer was to talk the officer into releasing him.

I was sitting next to him in the patrol car when he offered to give me any amount of money.”

Anti-narcotics officer