DUBAI // A passport control officer took Dh400,000 in bribes for altering records to falsely show that hundreds of people who entered the country on visit visas had left, a court was told.
Dubai Criminal Court was told that on February 20 and before then, Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department worker M A, 27, was allegedly paid to change the status of 641 people.
The Emirati is charged with accepting bribes, forging official documents and the use of forged documents by saving them on the department’s system.
Pakistanis K B, 29, and N K, 40, are both charged with aiding and abetting.
N K is charged with offering the bribe to M A, while K B is charged with mediating between the other two.
After a tip-off about his alleged activities, an internal department investigation found that departure data had been amended using the usernames and passwords of two other workers without their knowledge.
M A A, 30, an Emirati inspector, said he double-checked all the names of people that M A had entered into the system and found that all of them had entered the country on visit visas but did not leave.
“I sent a list of the names to the airlines and they confirmed that they did not leave the country,” he said.
He said the passport control officer was arrested and told to lure K B to a meeting with him so he could be arrested, too. “K B had Dh19,500 and 18 passports on him at the time of arrest, while M A had Dh30,000 in his car when we arrested him,” said the inspector.
When questioned by prosecutors, the accused officer allegedly admitted that he would receive a list of people via text whose exit status he should falsify and, he said, he would meet K B for payment.
All three defendants denied charges in court this week.
The next hearing will be in October.
salamir@thenational.ae
EMIRATES'S REVISED A350 DEPLOYMENT SCHEDULE
Edinburgh: November 4 (unchanged)
Bahrain: November 15 (from September 15); second daily service from January 1
Kuwait: November 15 (from September 16)
Mumbai: January 1 (from October 27)
Ahmedabad: January 1 (from October 27)
Colombo: January 2 (from January 1)
Muscat: March 1 (from December 1)
Lyon: March 1 (from December 1)
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Source: Emirates
Kalra's feat
- Becomes fifth batsman to score century in U19 final
- Becomes second Indian to score century in U19 final after Unmukt Chand in 2012
- Scored 122 in youth Test on tour of England
- Bought by Delhi Daredevils for base price of two million Indian rupees (Dh115,000) in 2018 IPL auction
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, semi-final result:
Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona
Liverpool win 4-3 on aggregate
Champions Legaue final: June 1, Madrid
UAE athletes heading to Paris 2024
Equestrian
Abdullah Humaid Al Muhairi, Abdullah Al Marri, Omar Al Marzooqi, Salem Al Suwaidi, and Ali Al Karbi (four to be selected).
Judo
Men: Narmandakh Bayanmunkh (66kg), Nugzari Tatalashvili (81kg), Aram Grigorian (90kg), Dzhafar Kostoev (100kg), Magomedomar Magomedomarov (+100kg); women's Khorloodoi Bishrelt (52kg).
Cycling
Safia Al Sayegh (women's road race).
Swimming
Men: Yousef Rashid Al Matroushi (100m freestyle); women: Maha Abdullah Al Shehi (200m freestyle).
Athletics
Maryam Mohammed Al Farsi (women's 100 metres).
Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
How it works
Booklava works on a subscription model. On signing up you receive a free book as part of a 30-day-trial period, after which you pay US$9.99 (Dh36.70) per month to gain access to a library of books and discounts of up to 30 per cent on selected titles. You can cancel your subscription at any time. For more details go to www.booklava.com
Pearls on a Branch: Oral Tales
Najlaa Khoury, Archipelago Books
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Haltia.ai
Started: 2023
Co-founders: Arto Bendiken and Talal Thabet
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: AI
Number of employees: 41
Funding: About $1.7 million
Investors: Self, family and friends
TWISTERS
Director:+Lee+Isaac+Chung
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