Dubai: Three workers have been accused of falsifying documents to advertise in a newspaper that they work in a pest control company.
The Egyptian trio, 37-year-old M.S., 26-year-old M.M. and 27-year-old H.S., were said to have provided an Arabic newspaper with a photocopy of a purported company that controls pests and exterminates animals [snakes and rodents] that affect public health in July.
Prosecutors accused the defendants of forging a photocopied document and claiming that they were permitted by Dubai Municipality to work in pest control and exterminate snakes and rodents.
The trio pleaded not guilty when they showed up before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Monday.
According to the charge sheet, prosecutors accused the Egyptian trio of illegally practising pest control work without proper licences and forging documents and using them.
A fourth suspect, who remained unidentified, remains at large.
“That did not happen at all… we did not do such a thing,” M.S. was heard telling presiding judge Ezzat Abdul Lat.
An Emirati pest control officer testified that they discovered the newspaper advertisement in the Arabic newspaper.
“As part of my job to control such ads, I called the supposed company that had placed the advertisement. The aforementioned company was not listed in Dubai Municipality’s records. When contacted, the newspaper informed me that the advertiser provided them with copy of an authorisation to publish the advertisement issued from the municipality,” claimed the officer.
Records showed that the documents turned out to be forged.
The incident was reported to the police and the suspects were arrested for unlawfully practising pest control work and extermination of rodents and snakes.
The trial continues.
