Bribery: Court suspends DNRD employee for one year

Dubai: A court on Tuesday suspended a Dubai and Naturalisation and Residency Department (DNRD) official from his job for one year and jailed him for two years over bribery charges.

"The Dubai Court of First Instance sentenced the Emirati defendant, F.A., to two years in jail, fined him Dh50,000 and ordered that he be removed from his government job for one year. The court will also seize the bribe money," said Presiding Judge Al Saeed Mohammad Barghout when he pronounced Tuesday's verdict.

According to judicial sources, a criminal court has to remove a government employee from his public duty as per the Federal Penal Code.

The judge found the accused of collecting Dh220,000 as bribe to carry out an unlawful job, as charged by the prosecution.

The prosecution charged F.A. with unlawfully adding the number of visit visas granted to ten companies. He was charged with abusing the authority of another employee by using his computer. The sentence is subject to appeal within 15 days.