Engineer wins reduced punishment in forgery case

Dubai: An engineer, who forged a certificate issued from Sharjah Police to export a sports utility vehicle (SUV) to his country, has had his six-month imprisonment reduced to three months.

The Iraqi engineer, Y.S., tampered with the production date of the 2007 model SUV by making it read 2011 on the export certificate so he could send it to Iraq in February 2013.

In March, the Dubai Court of First Instance sentenced Y.S. to six months for forging the export certificate and providing the forged documents to the shipping company and Dubai Customs to export the SUV to Iraq.

Meanwhile the Dubai Appeal Court accepted his appeal and reduced his imprisonment to three months on grounds of leniency.

Presiding judge Saeed Salem Bin Sarm said the accused will be deported following the completion of his punishment.

The defendant pleaded not guilty and denied the forgery charges.

When asked in court if he forged the police stamps on the export certificate and used it, he contended that he was not aware that the papers were forged.

Prosecutors accused Y.S. and another suspect of forging the export certificate and using those papers to export the car.

Records said the accused and the absconder tampered with the car’s date of manufacture and the chassis number.

A Customs inspector said an Indian shipping company worker handed him the forged papers to export the SUV to Iraq.

“When I checked the details I discovered the discrepancy in the manufacturing dates and the chassis number. When I asked the worker about it, he claimed that his duty was only to export the car, contending that he did not have any further details. He told me that he would inform the defendant [in his capacity as the car owner who wanted to send the car to Iraq],” claimed the inspector.

Records said the police were informed about the forged papers.

A police lieutenant testified that they summoned the Iraqi for questioning.

“He said he wanted to export the car to Iraq but he could not do so because it’s an old model [2007]. He said he met a man named Ali in Sharjah Industrial Area and the latter suggested that he could help him export the vehicle … the defendant claimed that Ali asked him to pay Dh7,000 and bring an export certificate from Sharjah Police. Thereafter Ali contacted the defendant and provided him with the certificate and the money. Ali called him and told him that the Customs papers were ready. The defendant claimed that when he collected the customs papers and the export certificate, he noticed that the manufacturing date was changed from 2007 to 2011,” the lieutenant claimed.

The ruling remains subject to appeal before the Cassation Court within 24 days.