Jail for inspector who demanded Dh50,000 bribe from spa owner

Emirati had asked for amount for the woman to avoid unannounced inspections of her spa but she called police.

DUBAI // A Ministry of Labour official sought a Dh50,000 bribe from a spa owner for excluding her business from unannounced inspections.

The inspector called the Chinese woman, whose business he had inspected, in December 2015.

“I remembered him because he had given me an Dh80,000 fine a year before, which I paid,” said the spa owner, 42. “He then began warning me against sudden inspections and offered to help me avoid them.”

The man asked her for Dh60,000 for his help but then reduced it to Dh50,000.

“I told him that my husband will deliver the amount but the inspector refused because my husband is an Emirati,” she said. “He said I should come and he would send his driver.”

She called the police, who watched as the inspector later took the money from his driver.

An Emirati officer said the driver admitted he had received the money for the inspector.

The policeman said the inspector denied asking the woman for a bribe, claiming he he had just warned her about breaches.

“He told us that she said she wanted to ‘send him a gift’,” the officer said.

The inspector was found with eight mobile phones and prosecutors obtained a recording of the phone conversation between him and the woman.

Dubai Criminal Court convicted the Emirati, 31, of bribery and sentenced him to a year’s jail, but acquitted his driver of aiding and abetting.

He was also fined Dh50,000.