Dubai: Two Emirati directors face one year in prison for abusing their connection with a Nakheel employee in order to get a German investor deferred payments in a Dh2.4 billion land deal.
The Dubai Misdemeanors Court yesterday jailed the Emirati directors, A.T. and M.F., both 29, for one year, although they pleaded not guilty and accused the German investor of false accusations against them.
Senior Prosecutor Khalid Al Zarouni, Deputy Head of Bur Dubai Prosecution, charged M.F., director of a realty investment company, and A.T., an administrative director, of abusing their connection with a Nakheel employee to get the German discounts and defer payments on a bribe worth Dh21.8 million in cash and cheques.
The two men pleaded not guilty and denied their charges in court.
"The court has fined the defendants Dh14.3 million and the bribe money will be confiscated. Meanwhile the civil lawsuit lodged against the defendants by the claimant in civil right [Nakheel] has been squashed," said Presiding Judge Zakaria Abdul Aziz in courtroom five yesterday.
Alleged malice
The defendants' lawyer argued that the investor filed his case against A.T. and M.F. out of malice after they lodged a bounced cheque case against him.
Senior Prosecutor Al Zarouni asked the court to implement the toughest punishment applicable against the defendants.
"The investor, identified as A., bought six plots of land from Nakheel worth Dh2.4 billion in total. He agreed with my clients to pay them a commission after completing the deal," the defence lawyer said.
"The commission cheques later bounced when my clients went to cash them at the bank. They complained to the police. A. was charged with issuing bounced cheques and later a court convicted him and he was jailed. He lodged this case malevolently and to avoid paying my clients their financial entitlements."
