Dubai: A policeman, who requested Dh3,000 as a bribe from a visitor in order not to issue him a traffic fine at Jumeirah Beach Residence, had his two-year imprisonment halved on Sunday.

The 30-year-old policeman, Y.Y., was said to have asked a Saudi visitor to pay him Dh3,000 in bribe against not fining him and impounding his car for blocking traffic at Jumeirah Beach Residence [JBR] at 4.45am.

The Dubai Appeal Court accepted Y.Y.’s appeal and reduced his two-year imprisonment to one year.

The Court of First Instance had earlier suspended Y.Y. from Dubai Police for three years and fined him Dh3,000.

“Meanwhile the court has confirmed the defendant’s three-year suspension from his duty and upheld the Dh3,000 fine as well,” said presiding judge Rashid Al Sumairi in courtroom 20.

The defendant entered a not guilty plea.

Court records said the accused [when he was a policeman] seized the Saudi’s driving licence and vehicle registration to ensure he would call him later and pay the bribe on January 19.

The visitor said the defendant negotiated how much he should pay, claiming that his violations totalled Dh10,000.

“He pulled me over to the right because I had double-parked my car to chat with friends. The policeman claimed that I had blocked the traffic, was driving someone else’s vehicle and had committed other offences. He said my vehicle would have to be impounded for 30 days, then asked me for money to help me,” said the complainant.

A police lieutenant said F.A. called Dubai Police’s operations room to complain that a policeman had asked him for a bribe.

“He claimed that the policeman told him that he had committed traffic violations that amounted to Dh10,000. The Saudi said he begged the defendant not to book him because it was his father’s car and he was travelling the same day… the defendant then said he could help him. He requested Dh5,000 before he settled for Dh3,000,” testified the lieutenant.

Dubai Police arrested the defendant in a sting operation immediately after he collected the bribe from the Saudi in front of a mall.

The appellate ruling remains subject to appeal before the Cassation Court within 30 days.