Eleven arrested in Ajman in fake visa scam

Ajman: Two females and one male Emirati, employees of the General Directorate for Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Ajman, and eight people from various nationalities have been arrested by Ajman Police for accepting bribes to illegally facilitate processing visas.

During a press conference, Brigadier Shaikh Sultan Bin Abdullah Al Nuaimi, acting director general of Ajman Police, said three suspects, charged with accepting bribes estimated at Dh75,000 for a single visa, were arrested after they received information from the UAE State Security about the involvement of three employees in illegal visa practices.

Al Nuaimi said three of the suspects worked for the residency department, another three acted as middlemen between the employees and customers, and five others worked at typing centres.

He said the suspects facilitated visa applications that were rejected for security reasons, or those which required university degrees.

"Some of those applications came from countries in which university degrees are forged and sold. The employees were aware that the degrees were fake, but passed the applications anyway," said Al Nuaimi.

Sting operation

"They accepted bribes from 55 people, out of which 25 have been arrested and referred to the public prosecution on charges of bribery. We are still looking for the other 30, some of which are outside the UAE," he added. He said a workforce had been formed to verify the authenticity of the information.

"Based on strong information and evidence, in cooperation with the UAE State Security, a plan was set up to arrest the employees, middlemen and other people involved in the crime," he said. According to police, a 32-year-old Emirati woman, S.Y., who was employed at the General Directorate for Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Ajman was working for the external offices of the residency department operating in the Ministry of Labour. Another Emirati woman and a man also who worked with S.Y. were arrested on the same charges.

Illegal documents

Police said S.Y. was the head of a gang which accepted bribes from the public to illegally process residency and labour visas.

She was arrested in a sting operation after complaints from residents who paid bribes to employees at the immigration external office to get visas and work permits and also have visa and work bans lifted. Some people were given help to enter the country even after a ban.

Stamps from the Ministry of Interior used for residency permits were also found at S.Y.'s home.

Thirteen others are being held after residents filed complaints against immigration office staff.