Bonyan official faces new bribery charge

Dubai: Prosecutors have levelled a new charge against Bonyan Holding's ex-board chairman of offering a bribe of Dh41.7million-worth of property to two former Tamweel executives to approve a partnership deal.

Senior Prosecutor Younus Hussain Mohammad handed Presiding Judge Fahmi Mounir a copy of the new bill of charges in which the 33-year-old Jordanian ex-board chairman, A.S., was charged with offering three plots of land, part of the Sama Al Jidaff project, as a bribe to Tamweel's Emirati former executives, 38-year-old A.A. and 44-year-old A.N.

According to the new charge, which was levelled against A.S. at the Dubai Court of First Instance yesterday, prosecutors accuse A.S. of offering two government employees, A.A. in his capacity as Tamweel's former CEO, and A.N., in his capacity as Tamweel's commercial president, three plots of land worth Dh41,731,570 as a bribe to abuse their duties and approve a partnership deal between Tamweel and Bonyan Holding.

Presiding Judge Mounir adjourned the case until January 10 to hear prosecution witnesses and for defence lawyers to review the modified list of charges.

A.S., A.A. and A.N., along with 28-year-old Jordanian, F.A., former director of Tamweel's investment department, and 40-year-old Emirati S.A., Tamweel's former executive director, earlier denied alleged financial irregularity charges worth around Dh46 million and refuted the charges of bribery, fraud, power abuse, breach of trust and exposing company secrets and crime association.

A.A., and A.N. face charges of accepting a bribe from A.S.

Tamweel executives were charged with unlawfully gaining Dh21.27 million from reselling the plots for higher prices.

Prosecutors charged A.A. and A.N. with embezzling Dh13.8 million by selling two plots for less than the actual price in return for Dh13.8 million. They along with F.A. allegedly caused Dh7.8 million in financial losses which Tamweel incurred. The three were additionally charged with misusing and exposing company secrets. A.N. was charged with causing financial damage of Dh3.6 million and assisting S.M. in purchasing a plot cheaper than the evaluated price and selling it for a higher price, after S.M. misused confidential information about the agreement between Bonyan and Tamweel.