Dubai: A public relations officer has been accused of offering Dh100 in bribe to an immigration officer to renew the residence visas of two persons, heard a court on Monday.

An immigration officer was said to be at his duty station at the client services counter at the Dubai International Airport when the 39-year-old Indian public relations officer [PRO] showed up in July.

Being a frequent client at his counter, the Indian asked the immigration officer to give him his mobile number, according to records, for future enquiries about residency renewals.

An hour later, the Indian called up the officer and offered to pay him Dh50 for each instant transaction to put the residency stamp on passports without any delay or background check, said records.

After discussing the issue with his superiors, the immigration officer was tasked to pretend to have agreed and accepted the offer.

Police apprehended the Indian PRO in a sting operation during which he was caught red handed paying Dh100 in bribe to the officer to renew the residency stamps on two passports in an illegal manner.

Prosecutors charged the suspect with offering Dh100 in bribe to an immigration officer to abuse his job at Dubai’s General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs [GDRFA] and stamp two residence visas illegally.

The suspect entered a not guilty plea when he showed up before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Monday.

“I did not pay him a bribe … I went to the counter and paid for the VIP service of renewing the residency visas. Those fees were to issue the residency quickly and not a bribe,” the suspect argued before presiding judge Urfan Omar.

The GDRFA officer testified to prosecutors that the suspect visited him at the client service counter and asked for his number.

“I provided him with my contact details and then he left. He called me an hour later and offered to pay me Dh50 per transaction and asked me not to deposit the usual fees with the cashier. There are clear and strict instructions that the collected fees must be deposited instantly with the cashier. After notifying my supervisor, I was commissioned to pretend to have agreed to the bribe offer of the suspect, who was apprehended in a sting operation,” the officer claimed to prosecutors.

Presiding judge Omar said the ruling will be heard on September 13.