Dubai: A public relations manager, who repeatedly molested his three secretaries and threatened to cut their salaries if they reported him to the police, has been jailed for three months.

The 40-year-old Egyptian manager, I.M., was said to have molested the Filipina secretaries who worked with him in the same department, and threatened to fire them or have their salaries cut if they reported him.

I.M. countered the molestation charges and accused the Filipinas of fabricating the case out of malice.

“I didn’t touch them. They fabricated these allegations immediately after I discovered that they had embezzled the company’s money. Their allegations are unfounded,” said I.M. when he defended himself at the Dubai Court of First Instance.

Presiding judge Urfan Omar said the accused will be deported after serving his jail term.

Prosecutors said the defendant hugged and kissed the secretaries repeatedly on different occasions and groped them.

He also threatened to cancel their residence visas or have them deported if they reported him to the police. One of the Filipinas, a 30-year-old, said the incident happened a number of times whenever she accompanied the manager to public departments as part of her job.

“He said he wanted to marry me. He asked to have sex with me a number of times. He groped me on the company premises and in his car without my consent. When I tried to prevent him he threatened to cancel my residence visa and have me deported. I took photos of him groping me and kissing one of the plaintiffs.”

‘Very scared’

A 34-year-old secretary testified that I.M. touched her indecently in May 2013 when she accompanied him to the Ministry of Labour in Abu Dhabi.

“Whenever I prevented him from groping me and pushed him away he would get angry and threaten me. I was very scared and when he asked me to accompany him, I refused and reported him to the police,” she added.

A 26-year-old secretary testified that the suspect harassed and molested her repeatedly between March and May 2013.

“One day we headed towards Dubai Marina and he asked me to swim with him. When I refused he threatened to cut my salary,” said the 26-year-old.

A policeman said the defendant, who seemed confused during questioning, denied molesting the plaintiffs.

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