Dubai A court-appointed auditor who requested Dh50,000 in bribe to issue a financial report favouring a businessman in his commercial lawsuit in court, has been jailed for one year.

The businessman had lodged a commercial lawsuit against a company before the Dubai Commercial Court in 2017.

In August, the Dubai Commercial Court tasked the 73-year-old Jordanian internal auditor [who works for a certified office that runs audit operations and issues financial reports to courts] to review the financial operations and issue his report in the commercial dispute.

Following delays in issuing the report, the businessman visited the certified office and when he tried to find out why the auditors had not issued the requested report, he was scolded and told to leave.

The businessman visited the office again the next day and met the 73-year-old auditor who told him that issuing the financial report of his case required more time and effort.

The defendant then told the businessman that the Dh10,000 fees that were paid to the court for the auditor to execute his court task were not enough and that if he pays Dh50,000 the report would be issued faster and in his favour.

The businessman informed his lawyer, who suggested that he notifies the police about the auditor’s request.

Law enforcement officers asked the businessman to communicate with the Jordanian suspect pretending that he would pay him Dh40,000 for issuing the report.

On Monday, the Dubai Court of First Instance convicted the defendant of requesting bribe and fined him Dh40,000.

He will be deported following the completion of his punishment, said presiding judge Urfan Omar.

The accused had pleaded not guilty.

“I did not request any bribe. The Dh40,000 was my money. It was supposed to cover the medical expenses for me and my wife,” the suspect said in court.

The businessman said once the suspect asked him to pay him extra money, he informed the police about it.

“Law enforcement bodies asked me to cooperate with them to have the defendant arrested in a sting operation. He [the defendant] called me once the report was ready,” the businessman testified.

Monday’s ruling remains subject to appeal within 15 days.