Dubai: A former administrative secretary at the UAE’s Volleyball Association lost his appeal on Wednesday and will have to spend a year in jail for embezzling Dh68,000.

The 24-year-old Egyptian defendant tried to get a reduced sentence when he sought leniency before the Dubai Appeal Court.

However, Presiding judge Mustafa Al Shennawi upheld the year-long jail term against O.S.

According to Wednesday’s judgment the accused will have to pay a fine of Dh68,000, the amount which he was accused of embezzling after abusing his public post.

“The defendant will return the same amount to the Volleyball Association. He will be deported following the completion of his punishment,” said presiding judge Al Shennawi.

Records said O.S. abused his public office (Volleyball Association), stole four cheques, forged the signatures on them and pocketed the money for himself last June.

The court convicted O.S. of abuse of office, theft, forgery and embezzlement.

An accountant of the Association said he discovered someone had cashed a Dh8,000 cheque worth from a local bank.

“I did not issue that cheque… I discovered that two more cheques worth Dh30,000 had also been cashed from another local bank in May. The three cheques were removed completely along with the counterfoil from the chequebooks. I informed the general secretary immediately. The defendant asked to meet me urgently. He said he cashed the cheques for his personal favour because he had problems. The general secretary joined us later and we went to the Association. O.S. admitted that he forged the signatures of the general secretary and the finance manager before he cashed the cheques,” said the accountant.

Records said police arrested the defendant shortly after. Another cheque was found in a bag that belonged to the Association and that was left in a car rented by O.S.

A Yemeni policeman said the defendant admitted that he stole the cheques when the Association’s offices were empty.

“He kept the cheques in his possession for a while. Then he forged the signatures and filled in the numbers then cashed the amounts for himself,” the policeman told prosecutors.

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