Dubai: A woman executive has been sentenced in absentia to one year’s imprisonment for manipulating a doctor and her husband and embezzling Dh1.65 million that they paid to partner her in a sports science venture.

The 59-year-old Austrian executive manager, B.U., was said to have become acquainted with the German doctor at her clinic and became friends with her and her French husband.

The Austrian woman who, according to records, remains at large, ran a sports clinic concept in a free zone area in Dubai.

The convicted woman was believed to have convinced the couple to invest their money with her and become partners in the venture before she took the money and fled the country in July 2013.

Prosecutors accused the defendant of breach of trust and embezzling the money paid to her in cash and four cheques.

The Dubai Misdemeanours Court sentenced the Austrian defendant in absentia after she failed to enter a plea. According to Tuesday’s ruling, she also faces a deportation order.

The German doctor testified to prosecutors that B.U. walked into her clinic some time in 2011 and said she had a doctoral degree in chemistry.

“She alleged that she had already written a number of press releases about the concept in which she wanted us to become her partners. We discussed the licensing procedures, regulations for the clinic, number of rooms, staff, skills, recruitment and other details. We believed her seriousness and sincerity as B.U. and her husband claimed to be advisers for the UAE military, had an excellent relationship with the government and had done business here for nearly 10 years. Then she asked my husband to sign a non-disclosure agreement. My husband was supposed to become the sport science centre’s manager … we were also promised that we would be partners,” she claimed.

Meanwhile, the Frenchman told the interrogating prosecutor that he had agreed with the defendant to get 25 per cent of the shares.

“I signed the agreement on a tentative basis after we had agreed that I would be the centre’s manager. As per the trade licence, my job description was operation manager but I was working as the manager as per our agreement. B.U.’s husband was also working with us … until one day he told us that an urgent matter had forced his wife [B.U.] to travel. However, he claimed that she would be coming back. In July 2013, the free zone inspectors shut down the centre because the licence was never renewed. Later, I discovered that a number of criminal complaints had been lodged against B.U. and that she was wanted. I could not communicate with her by email, phone or SMS,” said the French claimant.

The Austrian convict has the right [as per the criminal procedures law] to contest the ruling in absentia and request a retrial.