Jail term upheld for prisoner posing as Red Crescent worker

DUBAI // A prison inmate who posed as a Red Crescent worker over the phone to help a friend try to fraudulently obtain Dh405,000 worth of steel had his three-year jail sentence upheld by the Appeals Court.

EO, a 38-year-old Emirati, helped plan the crime with YA, a 34-year-old Syrian who was unemployed at the time. On July 16 the Syrian arrived at a steel company to place an order for 200 tonnes of steel which he claimed was for the Red Crescent.

The Emirati inmate then phoned the company's Jordanian manager QA, 37, and pretended to be the Syrian's supervisor.

However, the manager grew suspicious and called the Red Crescent, who told him they had no such employees. He then informed police who set up a sting operation and arrested the Syrian when he revisited the company on July 21.

Both the Syrian and Emirati were given three year jail terms by the Dubai Criminal Court, but only the Emirati tried to appeal the verdict.

The Syrian will be deported following his prison term.

Court records did not disclose what the Emirati was previously jailed for.