Employee sentenced to three years in jail for stealing Dh14.7m from telecom operator in Dubai

The man bought a Dh1m Bentley, a Range Rover and a Rolex watch with the money he stole

It took almost two years for the telecom operator to realise the accused had ordered recharge cards in bulk but did not update the accounts.

A former employee of a local telecom operator in the UAE has been sentenced to three years in jail for stealing Dh14.7million from his employer.

The Dubai Criminal Court also ordered the man to return the money. He will be deported after the jail term.

The Omani man, 42, worked at the telecom company’s Deira branch. He ordered recharge cards in bulk and sold them to customers without approval between January 2015 and August 2018.

The employee bought a Dh1m Bentley, Range Rover and Rolex watch with the money he stole.

Company officials became suspicious after he spent millions on costly purchases and a case was filed against him in February 2020.

“Despite having no other income than his salary of Dh17,000, he owned luxury cars including a Bentley, Range Rover and Nissan Patrol. He also wore an expensive Rolex,” said the telecom operator’s legal consultant.

“During an internal investigation, he failed to provide applications and other documents for the requested recharge cards.

“The internal investigation also showed his branch ordered the maximum number of recharge cards allowed.”

The man denied the charge.