Customs inspector admits stealing Dh114,500 from ship

He took the money while looking over a ship that had come into the port, prosecutors say. He got a three-month suspended prison sentence.

DUBAI // A customs inspector was sentenced this morning to a suspended three-month jail term for taking Dh114,500 from a ship at Port Rashid.

The defendant, OA, a 27-year-old Emirati, confessed and told the court “Yes, I did it,” before submitting a written plea and requesting leniency from the court last month.

According to court records, OA was inspecting a ship in the port on October 24, 2010, and as he stepped inside the cabin, he spotted the cash and took it.

A crew member called the police the next day, said the records, when he could not find the money. Dubai Police’s operations room notified the port police, who rushed to the ship, records said.

While investigating with crew members, a man told officers he had spotted the customs inspector leaving with a small bag that might contain the money, records show.

Police questioned OA and he confessed, showing them where the money was, records said.

He was also fined Dh114,500.