Airport residency officer on trial for embezzling Dh325,000

A sergeant of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs faced trial on Wednesday on the charges of embezzlement of Dh324,900, forgery and accepting a bribe.
The 31-year-old Emirati sergeant, working for the follow-up on violators and foreigners section, based at Terminal 3 of the Dubai International Airport, is accused of abusing his powers and embezzling Dh271,900 worth of fines on expired visas and exit passes related to as many as 68 transactions.
The officer pocketed the fees instead of sending the individuals to the bank branch at the airport to get payment stickers. He is charged with forging the said 68 transactions in addition to falsely saving data in the system that Dh53,000 worth of security deposits on absconding reports and deportation procedure and other fees of 10 applications were duly collected.
Prosecutors accuse him of accepting Dh10,000 as a bribe from an Egyptian businessman in return for falsely issuing a clearance on his overstay fines (worth Dh103,900) and also falsely stating that an Dh120 exit pass was issued for that man, which was not true.
Accordingly, the Egyptian managed to exit the country and re-enter with a new visa as a business partner in a trading firm.
The officer has been charged in the Court of First Instance with seeking and accepting a bribe, embezzlement of public funds, intentionally damaging the interest of a public entity, forgery and use of forged electronic documents.
The Egyptian is accused of offering a Dh10,000 bribe to a public officer in return for unlawful favours and aiding and abetting him in the other charges.
The arrest was made on October 31, last year. The sergeant was apprehended in a sting operation after the Preventive Security Department at his workplace was tipped-off that he was processing illegal transactions for his own financial gain.
"He was caught in the act of embezzling the cumulated fines on an expired visa and fees of exit pass, while finalising a transaction for a Filipina housemaid on a tourist visa," an officer of the Control and Investigation Section of that department told the prosecutor.
"He told the Emirati sponsor of the maid the cost to adjust her status and stamp her visa would be Dh6,800. He told him to pay the amount at his counter without the need to go to the bank branch where he should pay and collect a sticker. The sponsor informed us right away," the witness added.

source: Khaleejtimes