Three men packed off to jail for stealing fuel

dubai — Three men, including a Pakistani driver and two petrol station employees, have each been sentenced to six months in jail for embezzling more than Dh58,000 worth of fuel in cash after misusing a card given to the driver by his former workplace.

The two petrol station employees, a Nepali and a Filipino, aged 24 and 34, stood trial in absentia in the Court of First Instance. They managed to embezzle the money on different occasions after forging and tampering with electronic receipts pertaining to more than 30 fuel purchase transactions.

The public prosecutions records show the pair would save bogus transactions in the e-system, but in reality would pocket the money without any fuel filling.

The Pakistani driver, 37, was accused of embezzling thousands of dirhams by abusing trust and misusing a fuel refilling card. He is responsible for as many as 68 illegal transactions done with his card which was given to him to use for only work-related trips.

He was also accused of aiding and abetting the two station staff in the forgery offence.

The driver earlier denied in court charges of embezzlement of public money, and criminal complicity in forgery of e-receipts and use of forged e-documents.

The court slapped a Dh10,000 fine on each one of them on forgery charges. It also ordered them to pay other fines (equal to the amounts they embezzled) and ordered their deportation after they served their