Dubai: Three executives have denied charges of forgery, swindling and deception in signing 16 deals to sell sesame seeds and rice worth more than Dh575 million, a court heard yesterday.

Prosecutors accused the three executives — a 33-year-old Pakistani sales manager S.N., 27-year-old Iranian sales executive H.A., and his 30-year-old compatriot manager M.J. — of forging sales contracts and swindling an import and export firm and a general trading company.

The import and export firm's lawyer is suing the three suspects for Dh97 million in compensation [against his client's alleged damages] in a civil lawsuit which he filed before the Dubai Court of First Instance.

When the three suspects, S.N., H.A., and M.J., appeared before Presiding Judge Hamad Abdul Latif Abdul Jawad, they pleaded not guilty and denied their charges.

Prosecutors said S.N. and H.A. allegedly asked for Dh780,000 and Dh724,000 in bribes, respectively, to have the 16 contracts worth Dh573 million signed.

Prosecution records said the firm's sales manager and sales executive violated the firm's policies by unlawfully granting the general trading company a 60-day period to pay for the rice and sesame seed deals from the date of receiving the products.

The three were charged with tampering with the 16 contracts by making it appear that the method of payment would be a five per cent first payment and a 95 per cent second payment, which was against the company's policy. They were also charged with using forged documents.

The firm is owned by a food company. Prosecutors said the defendants tricked the food company's Jordanian vice-president into signing the allegedly forged contracts.

Samira Gargash, M.J.'s advocate, asked the judge to order prosecutors to present the allegedly forged contracts in court "so she could check them".

Bail

Ali Al Shamsi, H.A.'s lawyer, asked Presiding Judge Abdul Jawad to allow his client to post bail, saying: "Prosecutors bailed him earlier and later they cancelled his bail. We don't know why. I ask the court to release him on bail."

The firm's lawyer presented a civil lawsuit in which his client is seeking Dh97,510,595.99 in compensation for financial damages.

The judge rejected the bail requests and adjourned the case until December 13.