Ex-du salesman accused of accepting Dh500 bribe to sell special mobile numbers

Dubai: A former du salesman denied asking a customer for a Dh500 bribe to sell him a special number when he appeared in court on Sunday morning.

Prosecutors accused the 26-year-old suspect, S.H., of abusing his public office [when he was a salesman at du] and requesting a bribe to issue a special number for a client.

“I firmly deny this accusation. I did not ask for any bribe,” said S.H., a Tunisian when he pleaded not guilty before the Dubai Court of First Instance.

Prosecution records said the suspect was caught accepting the bribe as part of a sting operation.

According to the charge sheet, prosecutors said S.H. collected Dh500 from an Emirati engineer, T.A., to sell him a special number. T.H. cooperated with the police to nail the suspect in the sting operation, according to records.

An Emirati police lieutenant testified that an informant alerted them that the suspect was accepting bribes to sell internet services to du clients.

“The informant warned us that the suspect was selling internet services to clients against keeping the money for himself. T.H. cooperated with a police team to arrest the defendant in a sting operation…The stake-out team spotted the defendant putting the money in his pocket as soon as T.H. paid him Dh500. During questioning, S.H. confessed that he pocketed the revenues of selling internet services because he needed the money,” said the lieutenant.

The witness T.H., who cooperated with the police, told prosecutors: “I once met the defendant in a du booth when I wanted to buy a mobile number. I did not like the numbers that he offered me. When I was about to leave the booth, he said he could sell me a special number if I paid him Dh500. Immediately I informed a friend of mine who works at du. I cooperated with the police in the sting operation.”

Presiding Judge Ali Attiyah Sa’ad said the court will appoint a lawyer to defend S.H. when it reconvenes on October 22.