Dubai: Three men have been accused of processing Emirates IDs for GCC citizens after taking money from them to provide them forged documents falsely certifying that they were employed with the Ruler’s office.

Law enforcement officers were said to have been notified that a number of Gulf national residents had obtained Emirates IDs based on forged papers certifying that they worked for the Ruler’s office in 2016. Some others were issued IDs against forged documents stating that they were working for one of the camels clubs.

Police communicated with the Emirates ID Authority, according to records, and primary interrogations exposed that those GCC nationals had obtained the forged documents through three Egyptian men, two businessmen and a jobless one.

Following the arrest of one the Saudi nationals, who had been issued an Emirates ID based on forged papers, the latter claimed that he met one of the businessmen who offered to get him an Emirates ID that would allow him to buy and register a car in Al Aweer.

The Saudi claimed before police that he paid Dh3,500 to the Egyptian businessman, who accompanied him to the Emirates ID Authority’s branch to provide fingerprints and photos.

Further interrogations led to the arrest of the 38-year-old Egyptian jobless man from his house in Sharjah where he had been using a Photoshop software to forge the papers.

Police later identified the two businessmen, aged 51 and 52, who were apprehended for collaborating with their countryman in the racket.

Prosecutors charged the Egyptian trio of forging official forms to obtain Emirates ID for a Saudi national using fake certificates stating that the latter was working at the Ruler’s office. They were also accused of using those forged papers.

The 52-year-old suspect pleaded not guilty when he showed up before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Sunday.

“I did not forge anything … I have already been tried for the same crime before,” he contended before presiding judge Mohammad Jamal.

“Were you tried for having forged the documents for the same person in today’s case?” presiding judge Jamal asked the suspect.

“No … but for the same type of crime,” the 52-year-old replied.

Then presiding judge Jamal explained that the suspect’s trial is a new one since the claimant’s name is different from that of the other crimes he claimed to have been tried for earlier.

The court reconvenes on July 29 for the other two suspects to be brought in from their detention and to hear prosecution witnesses’ statements.