A Dubai Port World secretary allegedly embezzled Dh 1.4 million from the company in illegal commissions on maintenance works over one year from 2007.
The Criminal Court of First Instance heard the man, 38, an Indian national, siphoned off Dh 1.4million by forging a director’s signature and his company’s seal, of which he kept Dh950,000 for himself.
He gave Dh39,000 to his 29-year-old assistant so that he did not draw up reports on incomplete maintenance works.
The secretary, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges of embezzlement, forgery and bribery before the presiding Judge Fahmi Mounir.
His assistant pleaded guilty to accepting a bribe of Dh 39,000.
Two other Indians who work for maintenance contracting companies pleaded not guilty to criminal complicity by drawing up fictitious price offers of non-existent maintenance projects.
A prosecution witness, DP World’s legal consultant, stated that the secretary’s job was to coordinate between DP World and the maintenance contracting companies. “He was supposed to prepare reports on completion of projects and submit them to the director for payment approval. Accordingly, money would be paid to the companies by cheques or money transfers,” he said. “What happened here is that even after the necessary maintenance projects were carried out, the secretary was preparing fictitious price offers by companies for the same works. He was taking advantage of directors being on leave or their replacement by unaware new ones.”
The witness added that the secretary was abusing his superiors’ trust and was getting his hands on the funds approved by the directors.
“These funds were paid for projects which were not carried out. He used to deal with two particular companies, represented by two suspects,” the consultant said.
A DP World director told interrogators that the tenders and reports were often adopted without any verification by the director.
“I came to know through the Audit Department that the defendants embezzled funds from the company while on their posts. I examined some forged documents in which the name of the director was removed and his job title was left,” the director said.
The Criminal Court of First Instance heard the man, 38, an Indian national, siphoned off Dh 1.4million by forging a director’s signature and his company’s seal, of which he kept Dh950,000 for himself.
He gave Dh39,000 to his 29-year-old assistant so that he did not draw up reports on incomplete maintenance works.
The secretary, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges of embezzlement, forgery and bribery before the presiding Judge Fahmi Mounir.
His assistant pleaded guilty to accepting a bribe of Dh 39,000.
Two other Indians who work for maintenance contracting companies pleaded not guilty to criminal complicity by drawing up fictitious price offers of non-existent maintenance projects.
A prosecution witness, DP World’s legal consultant, stated that the secretary’s job was to coordinate between DP World and the maintenance contracting companies. “He was supposed to prepare reports on completion of projects and submit them to the director for payment approval. Accordingly, money would be paid to the companies by cheques or money transfers,” he said. “What happened here is that even after the necessary maintenance projects were carried out, the secretary was preparing fictitious price offers by companies for the same works. He was taking advantage of directors being on leave or their replacement by unaware new ones.”
The witness added that the secretary was abusing his superiors’ trust and was getting his hands on the funds approved by the directors.
“These funds were paid for projects which were not carried out. He used to deal with two particular companies, represented by two suspects,” the consultant said.
A DP World director told interrogators that the tenders and reports were often adopted without any verification by the director.
“I came to know through the Audit Department that the defendants embezzled funds from the company while on their posts. I examined some forged documents in which the name of the director was removed and his job title was left,” the director said.