Men deny defrauding Al Boom of Dh1m

DUBAI // Two men allegedly conned Abed Al Boom into paying them Dh1 million by using a forged official document, a court heard yesterday.
Al Boom, an Emirati, was subsequently found guilty of breaching the trust of 3,706 investors and embezzling Dh960 million. He is free on bail while his appeal is heard.
The Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance heard that in 2009, RM told Al Boom and an Emirati lawyer AA that his client JA could provide them with Dh1bn to help them with their financial problems, in exchange for a Dh1m commission.
RM, a 40-year-old Lebanese national, forged a letter from the UAE Central Bank to convince Al Boom that he could stump up the cash.
He and JA, an Egyptian, 47, were charged with unlawfully obtaining Dh1m from AA and Al Boom. Both men denied the charges.
Records show Al Boom contributed Dh850,000, while the difference was paid by a cheque from AA.
"I request that AA provide a copy of the cheque to the court so I can prove to you through the dates that I am innocent," JA said.
AA testified that while Al Boom was in Al Muraqqabat detention centre, he met RM, who convinced him he was representing a wealthy man who could provide the cash to settle his debts.
"He told him he could provide him up to Dh5bn," AA testified, adding that RM asked for a Dh1m commission.
When JA and RM started stalling, AA reported them to police.
The next hearing will be on October 17.
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