Fewa worker accused in Dubai court of taking bribes to change tender bid amounts

The Federal Electricity and Water Authority worker is charged over deal that allowed businessman's company to win tenders, Dubai court hears.

DUBAI // A public-utilities worker has been charged with accepting bribes in exchange for leaking prices of tender bids to a businessman and altering the latter’s bids to secure government contracts.

A F, a 26-year-old Indian worker at the Federal Electricity and Water Authority (Fewa), met A S, a 60-year-old businessman and compatriot, in the course of his work, Dubai Criminal Court heard on Thursday.

A S gave A F Dh1,000 when the civil servant asked for a mobile phone. A few months later the businessman called A F and got him to change the prices of his bids for a tender. The civil servant allegedly received Dh2,000 for doing that, and the businessman won the unspecified tender.

The prosecutors said the pair continued to work together between March and August last year.

Police officer M A, 29, said police received a complaint about the civil servant on September 24 last year, alleging that he had forged official documents that helped A S’s company to win tenders.

“His job entails delivering files and folders between divisions in the company [Fewa]. Once tender offers are opened, his job would be to send the bids to the appropriate departments,” said the officer.

“He then takes the files and leaks the prices to A S, who in turn asks him to change the prices on his bid. The company then noticed that there was visible evidence of tampering on the bid files of A S’s company – the use of ink remover was evident.”

Fewa subsequently made copies of tender bids prior to A F’s delivery of the actual documents to various departments. When Fewa compared the copies with those that A F had delivered, it found alterations on the documents and it reported the matter to the police.

“We apprehended A F and he admitted willingly that he forged the documents after he leaked the prices to A S, and he received a total of Dh10,000 in instalments from the other defendant,” said the police officer.

A F has denied the charges of forgery and taking bribes, while A S denied the charges of offering bribes and forgery.