Dubai:  A lawyer has asked a court to charge an Emirati businessman as a crime associate of a former Deyaar board member facing charges of bribery and usury.

Dubai prosecutors earlier charged 41-year-old former Deyaar executive, S.A., of collecting a Dh11.75 million bribe in return for easing the process of selling a property to his compatriot, E.J., — also a suspect in this case and still at large — and Emirati businessman, A.Z.

In a surprising twist, advocate Abdul Moneim Bin Suwaidan, who represents Deyaar, asked the Dubai Court of First Instance to consider A.Z. as a partner in crime of S.A. and E.J.

"We ask the court to charge A.Z. with swindling and defrauding Deyaar. He [allegedly] collaborated with S.A. and E.J. in wasting nearly Dh115 million from Deyaar. He should be charged with bribing S.A. as well. Meanwhile, we ask the jury to return the case to the Public Prosecution for a reinvestigation and to add the charge of wasting public funds," Bin Suwaidan told Presiding Judge Al Saeed Mohammad Barghout yesterday.

The lawyer further asked the jury to charge E.J. with aiding and abetting S.A. and A.Z. with swindling and defrauding Deyaar.

Advocate Essam Al Tamimi, who also represents Deyaar, told the court that S.A. abused his duty as a former Deyaar executive and earned an illegal profit.

Lawyer Dr Habib Al Mulla presented a document folder to Presiding Judge Barghout and is expected to present his closing defence arguments when the court reconvenes on February 14.

At an earlier hearing, Dr Al Mulla submitted in court a handwritten statement bearing the signature of Deyaar's ex-CEO, 44-year-old American, Z.S., declaring that S.A. didn't intervene in the property deal to benefit unlawfully.

S.A. had earlier denied the charge of accepting a Dh11.75 million bribe to facilitate the process of selling the property. He also denied dealing in usury amounting to Dh16 million.

The Public Prosecution charged S.A. with asking for and accepting a Dh11.75 million bribe from his 43-year-old compatriot businessman E.J. to help sell a property in Dubai Marina.

E.J. and S.A., who is on bail, were jointly charged with dealing in usury amounting to Dh16 million.

The Financial Control Department's audit director testified: "I did Deyaar's special report and discovered that the company incurred Dh115.8 million in loss in a ‘suspicious land purchase transaction' in Dubai Marina in September 2007. The land's market value was Dh300 million but it was purchased for Dh415.8 million."