Dubai Police nab auditor demanding Dh50,000 bribe

An auditor has been charged in court after he allegedly sought Dh50,000 bribe for his services from a plaintiff.

According to public prosecution records, the 73-year-old Jordanian auditor, who works for an accredited legal auditing office, claimed to the plaintiff, an Indian, in the commercial case that the expertise report would cost Dh50,000 to be written in his favour and later be presented to the court.

The defendant also allegedly told the plaintiff that in case the amount was not paid, he would draw up an auditing report that would not be in his favour. This prompted the plaintiff to report the auditor to the police.

The police officers instructed him to make the auditor believe he was into his offer and to get him to reduce the amount to Dh40,000 which should be paid when receiving a copy of the report.

In a sting operation, the police arrested the auditor red-handed upon collecting the money from the complainant. The report copy was also seized.

The auditor denied in the Court of First Instance a charge of seeking and accepting a bribe while assigned with a public service.

The case unfolded between September 12 and October 8 last year. A complaint was registered at Al Muraqqabat police station.

"After appointing a legal auditing office in a lawsuit in which I was a plaintiff, in August 2017, the court gave them a five-hearing deadline to present the auditing report which did not happen at all," the complainant told the prosecution investigators. "On September 12, 2017, I went to that office and met with the auditor. We talked about the commercial case and the report. I was surprised by him telling me that even though the fees fixed by the court were Dh10,000, they would be charging Dh50,000 for the time and efforts of the expert and for the report, that would be submitted to the court, to be in my favour."