Dubai: A man was sentenced to three months in jail for offering a Dh28,000 bribe to a customs inspector to smuggle two containers of sandalwood from Jebel Ali Port into Dubai.

Records said a Sri Lankan businessman, M.K., an Indian defendant, F.F., and his four countrymen offered the money to the Emirati inspector to dodge ordinary customs procedures and allow the two containers into the local market in August.

The Dubai Court of First Instance convicted F.F. of offering a bribe to the inspector to abuse his duties (at Dubai Customs) and remove the ban that was imposed on allowing the banned substance [sandalwood] into Dubai.

Presiding judge Ezzat Abdul Lat acquitted M.K. and the four others, M.S., A.Q., R.M. and A.S., of aiding and abetting F.F.

The five were cleared for lack of corroborated evidence.

“The bribe money will be confiscated. F.F will be deported after serving his punishment,” said presiding judge Abdul Lat on Monday.

All the suspects entered a not guilty plea.

The inspector said F.F. visited him at his desk in Jebel Ali Port to finalise the paperwork for a particular container.

“I asked him to fix some incomplete papers pertaining to the container and get back to me. He completed the papers and came back to me before I had finished his transaction. He took my contact details so he could call me later regarding issuing a licence for a typing centre. When he called me afterwards, F.F. offered me Dh5,000 to smuggle diesel from Kuwait into Dubai. I pretended that I had agreed and asked him to increase the amount of the bribe… but I did not proceed with the required procedures. Four days later, he called me again and asked for help to smuggle two containers of sandalwood into Dubai. I told him that it was against the law… he offered me Dh10,000 as bribe per container. When I informed my supervisor, the latter asked me to pretend to agree so we could inform the police and have him arrested in a sting operation.

“When we spoke the second time, I asked him to increase the payment as part of the sting operation and in order not to let him doubt anything. After obtaining prosecutors’ permission, law enforcement officers arrested F.F. as part of the sting operation. As per Dubai Customs records, the two containers were banned entry into Dubai for containing banned substances [sandalwood],” said the inspector.

Monday’s ruling remains subject to appeal within 15 days.