ABU DHABI // A man accused of stealing fruit from his employer claimed he only took rotten stock to sell for small tips, the Criminal Court heard on Monday.
The defendant, from Bangladesh, denied an illegal trade activity, saying he gave the fruit away for free, but sometimes received a Dh5 tip in exchange.
“How long have you been doing this for?” asked chief justice Idris Binmansour.
“For one month,” he replied.
He admitted to also taking blankets from the company to sell illegally.
“Was your employer aware of your activities? You said earlier that you sold the fruits for Dh400, what do you say about that?” said the chief justice.
The defendant insisted he only took damaged leftovers which he gave away in exchange for small tips.
“I have a wife and three children in my home country, please have mercy on me,” he added.
A verdict will be announced on Wednesday.
hdajani@thenational.ae
