Dubai: A Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) supervisor, who tests cars’ roadworthiness, has been accused of taking bribes to pass cars that failed the technical tests.

Police were said to have been alerted by an informant that the 31-year-old Indian RTA supervisor was accepting bribes between Dh150 and Dh600 per vehicle to issue certificates about cars’ roadworthiness.

The informant was also believed to have notified the police that a 23-year-old Pakistani tow-truck driver had constantly cooperated with the supervisor by bringing him cars that had failed roadworthiness tests to be retested and issued a passing certificate against bribes.

Police contacted the supervisor’s cousin and agreed with him to be part of a sting operation by communicating with the 31-year-old, according to records, to hand him a car that had failed in a previous test and have it retested and passed for money.

As part of the sting operation, the cousin was commissioned by the police to call up the 23-year-old driver, who took the car from the supervisor’s cousin, drove it to the testing centre where the supervisor was stationed.

The supervisor then drove the car into the usual testing hangar, completed the ordinary procedures, drove out the car and issued a certificate that it was safe to be driven on the roads.

Police arrested the Indian supervisor and the Pakistani driver once they accepted the money that they had taken as a bribe to make the car pass.

Prosecutors charged the 31-year-old suspect with abusing his position [formerly] at the RTA and taking bribes to tamper with electronic transactions and issue roadworthiness certificates to failing cars.

The 23-year-old suspect was accused of aiding and abetting the 31-year-old suspect by offering him a bribe.

The Indian suspect pleaded not guilty when he appeared before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Thursday.

Prosecution records said the cousin cooperated with the police in a sting operation to have the 31-year-old apprehended for taking Dh150 in bribe in February.

The suspects were quoted as admitting to prosecutors that they used to take bribes to have cars that had failed in roadworthiness tests, to be retested and given roadworthiness certificates.

Presiding judge Urfan Omar adjourned the case until the Pakistani suspect is legally notified about the upcoming hearing on November 2.