Dubai An inspector at the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has been accused of requesting and accepting Dh1,500 in bribe to write off a driver’s carpooling bribe.

The Emirati inspector, J.A., was said to have asked the Pakistani driver, K.N., to pay him Dh1,500 in bribe to cancel a Dh4,000 fine that he had been previously handed for carpooling in 2014.

Prosecutors accused J.A., who is currently suspended from RTA pending trial, of abusing his job to solicit and accept a bribe.

The suspect pleaded not guilty and firmly refuted the accusation, which he described as unfounded, while defending himself before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Thursday.

According to the charge sheet, prosecutors said J.A., who worked for the RTA’s parking section when he asked K.N. to pay him a bribe to cancel the carpooling fine that had been issued to him by another inspector from a different RTA section.

K.N. claimed to prosecutors that the incident happened after his cousin introduced him to J.A. in November 2014.

“My cousin told me that J.A. would be able to help me if I ever got ticketed by the RTA. After my cousin left the country and went back to Pakistan, I was caught carpooling. An undercover RTA inspector stopped me in Al Baraha and asked me to take him to a particular hotel … so I agreed and asked him to pay Dh15. Once I moved, he took out his RTA card and introduced himself. He issued me a Dh4,000 fine and confiscated my driving license and papers. He told me that I should pay the fine within 15 days otherwise I would have to pay Dh1,000 extra for any delay. I called J.A. for help and he asked me to pay him Dh1,500 to cancel the fine.

“I paid him the money but after sometime I realised that he could not cancel the fine … I called him persistently but he ignored me. Thereafter, I had to go to the RTA and pay the Dh4,000 fine so that I would not be forced to pay Dh1,000 more. Then I called the defendant several times and asked him to pay me back my Dh1,500. After a long time, he repaid me Dh900 and then after another period he paid me Dh200. When he failed to pay back the full amount, I headed to the RTA headquarters and informed them what had happened,” K.N. testified to prosecutors.

Records said RTA officials reported the matter to the police, who arrested the suspect instantly after that.

The suspect’s lawyer will present his defence argument when the court reconvenes on October 29.