Employee 'stole Dh14.7m from telecom operator in Dubai'

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

Pedestrians walk past Dubai's courts building during a hearing on April 04, 2010 in the case of a British couple sentenced to a month in jail after being convicted of kissing in public in a restaurant in the Muslim Gulf emirate. The couple's lawyer said the appeals court upheld the one-month prison sentence against the two, named by the British press as Ayman Najafi, 24, a British expat, and tourist Charlotte Lewis, 25. The couple were arrested in November 2009, after they were accused of consuming alcohol and kissing in a restaurant in the trendy Jumeirah Beach Residence neighbourhood.     AFP PHOTO/STR (Photo by AFP)
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A former employee of a local telecom operator scammed his employer and transferred Dh14.7 million into his personal account, Dubai Criminal Court heard.

The accused, an Omani man, 41, worked at the telecom company’s Deira branch. He allegedly sold prepaid recharge cards to customers without approval between January 2015 and August 2018.

It was almost two years before the company realised the accused ordered recharge cards in bulk but did not update their accounts.

The employee bought a Dh1 million Bentley, a Range Rover and a Rolex watch with the money he stole.

“Despite having no other income than his salary of Dh17,000, he owned luxury cars like a Bentley, Range Rover and a 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 man was charged with abusing his position and siphoning Dh14.7 million from his former employer.

He has denied the charges in court. The next hearing is scheduled for February 20.