Ex ports manager on trial for bribery

A former senior manager at port operator DP World is accused of asking for Dh4.8 million in bribes from two companies in exchange for helping them to win major construction projects, a court heard.

Dubai Criminal Court was told by prosecutors that a 29-yearold Emirati woman demanded Dh500,000 from the manager of a construction company in return for granting his company a project to build a villa in Jumeirah Heights.

The woman, who court documents stated is no longer an employee of the port operator, is also charged with seeking a bribe of Dh4.35m from the manager of a second company in return for helping him to win a bid at Jebel Ali Port.

The company managers, one an Egyptian, 59, and the other a Jordanian, 49, are charged with offering the bribes.

A Syrian woman, 54, who also worked at DP World, and a Lebanese man, 55, are charged with aiding and abetting the lead defendant.

The Syrian woman as well as the Jordanian and Lebanese defendants are also charged with forgery and use of a forged document, which helped the scheme of winning the bid for the port project.

All the defendants are also charged with money laundering the bribe through a company owned by the Lebanese defendant. Prosecutors said the alleged crimes happened between 2012 and 2014 and were reported to the authorities by the Syrian woman, after she was not paid her full share.

“After she helped the two companies enter the bids with DP World, she asked me to contact the managers of the companies and ask each to wire her Dh500,000,” said the Syrian in her testimony. She went to the authorities about the scam and later wore a wire to gather evidence against them.

She said she was not aware how the senior manager helped the companies enter the bids, since they were not registered with DP World, and testified that she witnessed the main defendant directing each company about what prices they should list in their tender bids.

“In order to make sure that she got her share, she had an engineering consultations company owned by her friend, the Lebanese defendant, sign separate contracts with both companies stating that if they won the bids, they are to pay the consultations company a percentage of the total amount of the project they won,” said the Syrian woman, adding that the percentage was decided by the Emirati woman.

The consulting company received more than Dh2m after the two bidders won.

“Then the Emirati received her share of the instalments from the consultations company, sometimes in cash at her sister’s home or in a cafe on Sheikh Zayed Road. I received Dh175,000 and was never paid the Dh550,000 remaining from my share,” the Syrian said.

The Emirati denied all charges yesterday. The Lebanese defendant also denied all charges, while the others were not in court. The next hearing will be on August 28.