Dubai Customs accountant charged with misappropriating Dh2m

Dubai: An accountant at Dubai Customs has been charged with tampering with parking receipts at Dubai Dry Dock via the e-revenue system, and misappropriating around Dh2 million.

The Egyptian accountant, M.M., was said to have abused the authority granted to him to access the e-revenue system of Dubai Customs, forged parking receipts and pocketed the money between January 2009 and June 2013.

Prosecutors accused M.M. of misappropriating public funds, committing electronic forgery and abusing public office.

The accountant pleaded not guilty and refuted all his accusations when he appeared before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Tuesday. According to the charge sheet, prosecutors said the suspect embezzled up to Dh2 million when he abused his duties at Dubai Customs and tampered with 133 receipts through the e-revenue [the income of parking tickets] system. He also handed the forged e-receipts to the administrative affair’s section to collect the money.

“No, it did not happen,” M.M. told presiding judge Mohammad Jamal.

An Egyptian assistant accountant claimed to prosecutors that he discovered the embezzlement shortly after he was commissioned by the Dubai Customs to do a financial report on the revenues between 2013 and 2014.

“I audited the e-revenue system of the two years [2013 and 2014]. Then when I compared it with the finance department’s financial reports, I discovered a major discrepancy between the reports. I informed the concerned department that the deficit was in the revenues of the Dry Dock’s parking. Further examination revealed that forged receipts had been processed by one user [M.M.],” he testified to prosecutors.

A police officer, who questioned the suspect, claimed to prosecutors: “The suspect admitted to me that he abused the authority granted to him as an accountant at the Customs, forged the e-receipts and pocketed the money. He claimed that he used the misappropriated money to purchase two cars, jewellery for his wife and pay his children’s school fees … he also bought a house and a property in Egypt. The suspect also claimed that he tampered with the receipts on Microsoft Word. M.M. further alleged that he was willing to repay part of the embezzled money by selling his house and property in his homeland.”

The suspect’s lawyer asked presiding judge Jamal to adjourn the case to hear prosecution witnesses’ statements on May 3.