DUBAI // The Appeals Court has upheld the acquittal of two businesswomen accused of accepting bribes worth Dh180,000 in return for awarding company contracts.

VP, 44, and RL, 33, both Filipinas, were acquitted by the Criminal Court in April this year but the public prosecution appealed the verdict.

The pair, who worked at the European Sea Food Company, were also cleared of stealing a further Dh155,000 from their employer.

Prosecutors claimed they had been running a scam which involved forcing illegal fees on customers and companies dealing with their employer. Both women were said to have confessed.

Prosecutors also claimed a financial audit proved the women had been stealing from the company.

But the Criminal Court found them not guilty and declined to refer the case to Civil Court. The Appeal Court upheld this verdict.

salamir@thenational.ae