ABU DHABI // A police translator took money from suspects, claiming he could help them to avoid charges, prosecutors told a court.
LIT, from Malaysia, who translates for Chinese speakers, appeared before Abu Dhabi Criminal Court of First Instance this week, charged with taking a bribe and abusing his job as a translator.
Prosecutors said he told suspects he could help them during interrogations and court proceedings.
LIT denies a charge of taking $2,000 (Dh7,300) from a Chinese man, QJM.
A female suspect, who was not charged in the same case, also told police he offered to help her if she gave him money.
LIT said he had not received any money from QJM, and only offered to help him find a lawyer.
QJM was being held in police custody for a different charge, the court heard.
Prosecutors said the translator spoke with QJM while the suspect was waiting for a police officer to question him.
He also spoke with a woman, who was waiting in the hall outside the interrogation room, but she did not agree to give him any money. LIT and QJM then met in the police station's bathroom, where the money was allegedly handed to the translator.
A policeman claimed he pushed open the bathroom door as QJM was giving the money to LIT, and saw the handover.
The translator said he was unaware that QJM put the money into his pocket
"I did not know," he said. "I was rushing to the bathroom and I crashed into him. He probably put the money [in my pocket] at that point."
He said he offered to help the suspects because he thought they did not know the process of hiring a "good" lawyer.
He said he was surprised when he left the bathroom and saw the policeman approach him and ask him about the money .
"He told me it was in my pocket and I searched in my left pocket and in my right pocket and I could not find anything," LIT told the court.
The policeman found the money in LIT's back pocket, the court heard.
QJM denied having offered a bribe to the translator, instead saying he gave LIT $2,000 to hire a good lawyer for him. He said the money was meant for attorney's fees and commission for the translator, for his help.
He said he gave the money to the translator "hand to hand" inside the bathroom, that the two made the deal in the interrogation room, and that they decided to make the handover in the bathroom.
Asked if the money was to help him "get out of the case" or to help him find a lawyer, QJM said it was the latter.
LIT was released on bail. The judge will hear the case for the defence on Monday.
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Key facilities
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Proudest achievement: “I came to a new country and started this shop”
Favourite TV programme: the news
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Family: six sons in Dubai and a daughter in Faisalabad
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
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Favourite hobby: Football
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One in nine do not have enough to eat
Created in 1961, the World Food Programme is pledged to fight hunger worldwide as well as providing emergency food assistance in a crisis.
One of the organisation’s goals is the Zero Hunger Pledge, adopted by the international community in 2015 as one of the 17 Sustainable Goals for Sustainable Development, to end world hunger by 2030.
The WFP, a branch of the United Nations, is funded by voluntary donations from governments, businesses and private donations.
Almost two thirds of its operations currently take place in conflict zones, where it is calculated that people are more than three times likely to suffer from malnutrition than in peaceful countries.
It is currently estimated that one in nine people globally do not have enough to eat.
On any one day, the WFP estimates that it has 5,000 lorries, 20 ships and 70 aircraft on the move.
Outside emergencies, the WFP provides school meals to up to 25 million children in 63 countries, while working with communities to improve nutrition. Where possible, it buys supplies from developing countries to cut down transport cost and boost local economies.
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The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
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- Synthetic fibres that make up the average garment can take hundreds of years to biodegrade
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Price, base: Dh399,999
Engine: Supercharged 6.2-litre V8
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 707hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 875Nm @ 4,800rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 16.8L / 100km (estimate)
Conservative MPs who have publicly revealed sending letters of no confidence
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What is Diwali?
The Hindu festival is at once a celebration of the autumn harvest and the triumph of good over evil, as outlined in the Ramayana.
According to the Sanskrit epic, penned by the sage Valmiki, Diwali marks the time that the exiled king Rama – a mortal with superhuman powers – returned home to the city of Ayodhya with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman, after vanquishing the 10-headed demon Ravana and conquering his kingdom of Lanka. The people of Ayodhya are believed to have lit thousands of earthen lamps to illuminate the city and to guide the royal family home.
In its current iteration, Diwali is celebrated with a puja to welcome the goodness of prosperity Lakshmi (an incarnation of Sita) into the home, which is decorated with diyas (oil lamps) or fairy lights and rangoli designs with coloured powder. Fireworks light up the sky in some parts of the word, and sweetmeats are made (or bought) by most households. It is customary to get new clothes stitched, and visit friends and family to exchange gifts and greetings.
How to join and use Abu Dhabi’s public libraries
• There are six libraries in Abu Dhabi emirate run by the Department of Culture and Tourism, including one in Al Ain and Al Dhafra.
• Libraries are free to visit and visitors can consult books, use online resources and study there. Most are open from 8am to 8pm on weekdays, closed on Fridays and have variable hours on Saturdays, except for Qasr Al Watan which is open from 10am to 8pm every day.
• In order to borrow books, visitors must join the service by providing a passport photograph, Emirates ID and a refundable deposit of Dh400. Members can borrow five books for three weeks, all of which are renewable up to two times online.
• If users do not wish to pay the fee, they can still use the library’s electronic resources for free by simply registering on the website. Once registered, a username and password is provided, allowing remote access.
• For more information visit the library network's website.
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