Man siphons off Dh50,000 from bank, squanders it on ‘personal needs’

DUBAI — A legal collector working for a bank stood trial at the Dubai Court of First Instance for allegedly embezzling Dh50,000.

According to public prosecution records, the 45-year-old Emirati defendant was assigned with paying up fees and fines and finalising transactions due on impounded cars at the police, municipality or the vehicles left behind by their owners.

He should have presented documents and receipts to the bank that he had paid up the due fees and finalised the transactions with government departments in follow-up on the cars. Instead, he allegedly embezzled Dh50,000 he had been given to carry out his duties.

The man has been charged with embezzlement of public funds.

The case dates back to June 2010 and was registered at Naif police station.

Another legal collector told the investigator that he was asked by the defendant to be given Dh50,000 towards his work needs. “His duties included finalising transactions and procedure on vehicles, impounded or abandoned that had been purchased with loans from the bank. After paying the due fines and fees on those cars at the government departments, they could be taken by the bank.” The accused claimed to the witness he needed the money to get those transactions done at those departments.

The witness received verbal instructions from a person in charge at the bank to hand the cash over to the accused. There was no one around when he gave the money to the defendant in the parking lot of a store in Al Hamriya, Naif, he pointed out.

About three months later, the defendant was yet to present receipts and documents to the bank administration that he had got those transactions carried out. He also failed to prove he had settled the due fees and fines against those transactions or even returned the Dh50,000 amount to the bank.

However, when the administration requested the defendant to return the money, he confessed, in the presence of the witness, that he had spent it on his “personal needs”. The witness told the prosecutor he heard the defendant expressing his responsibility towards repaying the bank the amount he had taken. The defendant also took up all the blame denying any involvement of the witness in squandering the money.

A ruling will be issued on March 12.