UAE | Crime
Merchant blames Iraq and US for bounced cheque
The bars had allegedly contained depleted uranium, he said.
- By Bassam Za'za', Senior Reporter
- Published: 00:00 September 1, 2010
Dubai: A merchant claimed in court on Tuesday that his cheques, worth Dh10 million, had bounced because the Iraqi Government and American army in Iraq had banned him from exporting iron bars.
The bars had allegedly contained depleted uranium, he said.
"The Iraqi Government and the American occupiers cancelled my export deal worth Dh60 million because they claimed that the iron bars could contain depleted uranium," the 41-year-old Iraqi merchant testified before the Dubai Court of Appeal on Tuesday.
"They refused to let me and my partners from exporting the iron until they had it examined and checked in specialised laboratories.
"Their decision to do so caused me a great loss. The claimant in this case had only paid Dh9.5 million as his share in the deal ... Yes, your honour, I signed those cheques worth Dh10 million and I handed them to the claimant."
The Dubai Court of Misdemeanours had sentenced the merchant, B.M., to three years in jail to be followed by deportation.
However B.M. asked the Appeals Court to overturn his sentence, saying he had already been punished for this crime by serving time for it in a Sharjah jail.
Dubai prosecutors had accused B.M. of issuing two cheques worth Dh10 million to an Emirati businessman, identified as S.S., with bad intention. When the latter went to encash the cheques, the bank rejected them for lack of sufficient funds.
B.M. told the appeals court in courtroom 17: "Your Honour, it is true that those cheques were mine and I issued them ... but the claimant has already lodged five complaints over the same issue in Sharjah".
"He complained against me in five different places," B.M. said.
"Sharjah Police referred me to Sharjah Prosecution where I was charged with issuing bounced cheques. The Sharjah Court already found me guilty and sentenced me. I have already served my punishment in Sharjah jail. Today I am being tried for the same crime a second time."
He maintained that he did not have any bad intention when he issued the cheques.
B.M. asked the court for leniency due to what he described as "exceptional circumstances".
The judge adjourned the case until September 21.
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