Dubai: A health coordinator has been accused of forging 9,159 receipts of health card renewals and embezzling more than Dh1.26 million from her company during a period of eight years.

The 55-year-old Filipina, D.M., was said to have started working as a nurse at a famous hotel in Dubai before she was appointed as a health coordinator who was tasked to handle the employees’ health files and issues in 2007.

Prosecutors accused the Filipina of tampering with the 9,159 receipts of renewing employees’ health cards by changing the fees from Dh110 to Dh210 between November 2007 and March 2015. She was also accused of embezzling around Dh1.26 million.

Jail wardens did not produce D.M. in the Dubai Court of First Instance where she was scheduled to enter her plea on Wednesday.

According to the charge sheet, prosecutors said the defendant tampered with the dates and fees mentioned on the receipts.

The hotel’s Egyptian auditing manager testified to prosecutors that the embezzlement was discovered when D.M. produced two receipts of two employees who had resigned in November 2014.

“First she was appointed as a nurse and later promoted to health coordinator. When she submitted those two suspicious receipts, we decided to carry out an inventory. We discovered several receipts that had been replicated. She had submitted photocopies of receipts to renew health cards for the same employee more than once at Dubai Municipality’s clinic. Upon confronting her, she admitted that she had forged photocopies of receipts and embezzled money. She confessed that she tampered with names and cost of fees and changed employees’ photos. When I checked with Dubai Municipality’s clinic I found out that they had not changed the cost from Dh110 to Dh210. The inventory revealed that D.M. had embezzled more than Dh1.26 million between 2007 and 2015. While the suspect was being cross-examined, she claimed that the municipality did not provide her with original receipts but only photocopies … she also alleged that the municipality had started renewing health cards twice per year,” the auditing manager claimed.

Records said the suspect admitted during questioning that she had pocketed Dh500,000 only.

Presiding judge Fahd Al Shamsi adjourned the case until D.M. is brought from detention when the court reconvenes on July 5.