Abu Dhabi: A man who was released 20 days back for lack of evidence in a fraud and money-laundering case on Monday told the Abu Dhabi Court of Misdemeanours that he was shocked that his name had cropped up again.

The Emirati man is an accused in the Dh1.6 billion car sales fraud and money laundering case. More than 50 people were detained on charges of scamming up to 3,700 people of more than Dh1.6 billion.

Eight of the suspects were caught with the help of Interpol. Almost 2,000 people who were caught up in a billion-dirham investment scam have come forward with financial claims of up to Dh310 million, prosecutors said in previous hearings.

Police began investigating the case last year after receiving more than 400 complaints in five days.

Denying all charges, the man told the court: “They [public prosecution] detained me for 20 days and then released me. I went to the police and filed a case against prosecution for harassing me.”

He added: “Public Prosecution agents punched me and hit me on my face with shoes. I told them I want to see a doctor, but they refused.”

He insisted that he had no knowledge of the case. “Since the last six hearings, my name wasn’t there, but now they put my name up to the court. It’s wrong,” he told the court.

The presiding judge asked him for complaint documents, which his lawyer submitted.

The financial public prosecutor present in the court asked the defendant to come to him for complaints, but the latter refused, telling the judge that “I am scared [of going to him] as he might detain me and beat me up.”

Investigations have revealed that the scammers would sell at least one car a day, which was then re-purchased by the dealerships several times. The defendants would buy expensive cars with the victims’ money, real estate, stocks and camels.

Due to complications and the involvement of a large number of people in the case, the court has sub-divided it into four cases.

The first case involves 38 people, second 12, third one and the fourth case comprises three persons.

An army of defence lawyers descended on the Abu Dhabi Court of Misdemeanours and told the presiding judge that their clients were falsely implicated as they possess a valid trade licence to operate their businesses of selling and buying cars.

The verdict is expected to be delivered on November 22.