ABU DHABI // A legal counsellor at a media company and a businessman who offered a Dh900,000 bribe to a television executive had their two-year jail sentences reduced to eight months by the Appeals Court on Thursday.
The Egyptian lawyer N and Emirati M A were caught in an undercover operation after the executive, who worked in the same company as N, reported them to police.
The court heard the lawyer offered his colleague Dh750,000 to sign a broadcast contract with a different company, for which the second defendant worked, in return for a share of the profits.
The executive reported them to police and an operation was organised.
He agreed to meet the two defendants, who asked him to raise the value of the contract from Dh10 million to Dh15m, in exchange for half of the extra Dh5m and the Dh750,000 bribe.
In a second meeting, the executive asked the lawyer to increase the bribe to Dh900,000.
On the date agreed to for the handover, the lawyer arrived with Dh600,000, saying he would deliver the rest a week later.
When he was arrested it was discovered that the bag contained Dh400,000 and he had kept Dh200,000 hidden in his car.
Defence lawyers had argued that the case was invalid as police had used illegal wiretaps.
Prosecutors said that by law phone monitoring is not permitted unless there is a permit from public prosecution, but the article did not specify if the permit had to be written.
They assured that the permit was issued by word of mouth and showed an official statement proving this.
The Egyptian will be deported after serving his sentence.
hdajani@thenational.ae