Dubai: Two policemen have been jailed for six months each for taking bribes to issue accident reports for those involved in crashes without them being present at the accident site for inspection of damages.

The policemen, 30-year-old S.J. and 24-year-old H.K., asked for Dh2,000 in bribes from an informant, who posed as a person involved in a car crash and needing an accident report to fix his car in October.

The Dubai Court of First Instance convicted S.J. of abusing his duties as a traffic policeman [who inspects sites and issues accident reports for insurance companies to pay for repairs] and demanding a bribe and tampering with details on accident reports.

H.K. was found guilty of aiding and abetting S.J.

Presiding judge Fahd Al Shamsi also fined S.J. Dh2,000.

The duo pleaded not guilty and refuted their accusations when they defended themselves in court.

When asked if he requested a bribe to issue accident reports., S.J. replied: “No, I am not guilty.”

H.K. pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors said S.J. tampered with an accident report in which he wrongly mentioned that he visited the accident site [in Al Muraqqabat] and inspected the damages that were caused to the informant’s vehicle before providing him with the report for Dh2,000.

The defendant tampered with the details written on the report by falsely mentioning that the car hit a pavement in order to mislead the insurance company into paying for the repairs.

H.K. was charged with aiding and abetting S.J. and failing to report the crime [bribery and forgery].

A police officer testified that one of their informants claimed to them that the defendants had been requesting bribes to issue false accident reports.

“We commissioned the informant to pose as someone who had been involved in a car crash and required an accident report. The informant contacted S.J. and informed him that he had been involved in an accident … the defendant offered to hand him an accident report against Dh2,000. After obtaining prosecutors’ permission to record the sting operation, the duo was arrested in Port Saeed area. The defendants tried to hide their patrol car between a truck and a bus to avoid being seen. An undercover police team raided the location and caught the defendants red-handed. The police money was found in their possession. S.J. had tried to hide the money under his shoe,” the officer claimed.

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