A Dubai police officer who was sentenced to jail for accepting money in return for illegal police record checks has had his appeal for a retrial refused.
The Emirati, 38, was arrested three years ago after he accepted a Dh2,000 bribe from two undercover police officers.
Police suspected that the officer had accepted more than Dh10,000 on several occasions to check the criminal status of a number people, including two Pakistani men and two Indian men.
"He would log into the criminal data system and reveal confidential information for personal gain," said an Emirati policeman involved in the case.
The police contacted the accused on WhatsApp asking for a records check, and he asked them to send their names and passport numbers and arranged for them to meet to exchange money for the information.
The rogue officer was arrested after the meeting.
He was found guilty of accepting bribes, abusing his position, breach of duty and disclosing confidential information. He was sentenced in absentia to two years in prison and fined Dh10,000.
Three of the men who had illegally paid him for confidential information were sentenced to a year in prison each, and a fourth Indian accused was sentenced to six months. All are to be deported after serving their terms.
The convicted officer filed for a retrial – a legal right for those sentenced in absentia – but lost; however, he can take his case to the appeal court within two weeks.
