Dubai: The Ministry of Education is investigating irregularities at a scout camp that it owns in Al Aweer, where investors have been using areas to their own benefit under false contracts.
The camp land was allocated to the ministry by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Finance Minister, in 1996 so that it could be used for the ministry's camping and scouting activities, on condition that it was to be used as a service and not for profit-making.
A source from the ministry, who wished to remain anonymous, said that former ministry officials had signed two contracts allocating parts of the camp to investors in 2006 and 2007.
The first contract, which was written on April 5, 2006, was a partnership deal between the Ministry of Education, represented by its then Undersecretary of Activities Affairs, and Emirates Hobbies Association, represented by its head.
The source pointed out that the General Authority of Youth and Sports Welfare had said that the activities of the Emirates Hobbies Association had been stopped and its board of directors suspended on December 24, 2005, meaning that the contract was signed four months after its termination.
The second contract, signed on September 30, 2007, was called a cooperation agreement between a "concerned party" from the Ministry of Education — which was not indicated later in the contract — and a "National Service" represented by a Ministry of Education official then and until now.
The source pointed out that it was a strange contract, as it seemed as if the ministry made a deal with itself.
The issue of the camp lands surfaced a few years ago through the reports of the Auditing Bureau, which outlined infringements in the camp, but the Ministry of Education had not taken up the issue.
The ministry took action after the camp's water consumption bill crossed Dh400,000 for 2010 alone. The ministry had started paying the water consumption bills in 2008, which were previously paid by the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa).
Shock
This, along with the previous Bureau reports, finally led Ali Mehad Al Suweidi, Acting Director-General of the Ministry of Education, to contact Dewa to cut off the water supply to the scout camp.
The ministry source said that the ministry was in a legal position to sue the investors, but ministry officials did not attempt to sue so as not to cause unrest. The source added that any official who intended to do something about the issue was moved.
That was until recently, when the Ministry was shocked to see that one of the investors had raised an urgent proceeding against the Ministry, asking that an expert inspect the place and document its state, and that he — the investor — had spent Dh6 million to bring the place to its current state.
The proceeding also indicated that the Ministry had abandoned the investor and did not sign a contract with him as it had promised him.
Photographs
The other investor that the proceeding referred to, who is an official at the Ministry of Education and is in a leadership position, said that he had indeed evacuated the place, which was found to be untrue as proven by photos.
Photos show that there are new constructions and some areas are being used as horse stables for businessmen and equestrian lessons. The stables were found to be rented out for more than Dh2,000 a month.
The official claimed that he had indeed evacuated the place, but the other partners refused to move.
Recently, it was found there was a third contract between the Ministry of Education represented — again — by the ambiguous "concerned party" and the same "National Service" that was in the 2007 contract, but this time represented by A.S., according to another ministry source.
This contract was to last five years starting October 2007, and according to the source, the investor did not use any of the land but used the water and electricity that the contract indicated would be supplied by the Ministry of Education and in exchange for cleaning the camp.
The investor used the water and electricity to supply a village house that he built outside the camp area.
— With inputs from Gulf News correspondent
