DUBAI // A man who accumulated more than Dh50,000 in fines for overstaying his visa offered a policeman a bribe for granting him a departure order without paying the money, Dubai Criminal Court has heard. Pakistani S M, 43, is charged with offering a public employee a Dh5,000 bribe in return for violating his work regulations by allowing him to leave the country without paying the fines.
He is also charged with overstaying his visa and failing to pay the Dh52,000 in fines.
Policeman A S, 31, testified that he was assigned on September 10 to contact the defendant about the fines. “When I did he offered me a Dh5,000 bribe to help him exit the country without paying his dues,” he said.
The officer told his superiors, who told him to play along with the defendant. He arranged to meet S M the following day at the car park of the Naturalisation and Residency office in Dubai to take the money and the Pakistani’s passport.
“When we met he said he would only hand me the money after I had cancelled his fines, which the management and police approved. I did so and when I gave him the document to show his fines were cancelled, he handed me the bribe and police arrested him,” said A S.
The defendant denied the charges in court.
The next hearing is on November 30.
salamir@thenational.ae