Acquittal of policeman, RTA inspector in bribe case upheld

Dubai: Prosecutors lost their appeal against a policeman and a Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) inspector, who were acquitted of demanding a bribe from a cafeteria owner not to fine him for fixing a sunshade illegally.

In October, the Dubai Court of First Instance cleared the policeman of mediating with the RTA inspector and conspiring with him to make the Indian cafeteria owner pay them a kickback for not fining him after they discovered that he had set up a sunshade without obtaining proper permissions between August and September 2015.

The policeman and the inspector had pleaded not guilty and the Court of First Instance cleared them of the charges. Prosecutors appealed the judgement.

Presiding judge Saeed Salem Bin Sarm rejected prosecutors’ appeal and upheld the duo’s acquittal citing lack of corroborated evidence.

Records said the policeman was on patrol duty in Al Rifa’a when he stopped the Indian man over a traffic offence and discovered that the Indian owned a salon and a cafeteria.

The policeman and the Indian had an argument before the latter informed him that he had been fined for setting up a sunshade over a pavement in front of his cafeteria without obtaining proper permission from the authorities concerned.

The policeman told the Indian, according to records, that his friend, the inspector, could help cancel the fine if he paid them Dh10,000 in bribe.

When he showed up before the Appeal Court, the policeman denied the charge of mediating between the inspector and the cafeteria owner to extract the bribe from the latter. The inspector also refuted the bribery allegations.

The inspector was cleared of abusing his former job at the RTA and demanding the Indian to pay him a bribe to cancel a fine that was issued against his cafeteria for fixing the sunshade over the pavement without a licence.

The policeman was also cleared of mediating between the inspector and the cafeteria owner to ensure that the Indian paid the bribe.

The Indian owner said that once he realised that the duo were after the bribe, he reported the matter to the police.

The Appellate Court judgement remains subject to appeal before the Cassation Court within 27 days.