DUBAI // A former minister of state for foreign affairs and former chairman of Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB), Dr Mohammed Khalfan al Kharbash, has been referred to the Dubai Criminal Court on charges of embezzling public funds and harming the state's interests. The Dubai Public Prosecution department said Dr Kharbash was charged with 11 other defendants in three separate cases stemming from investigations into financial wrongdoing at Deyaar Development Company, DIB's real estate affiliate. Dr Karbash is also charged with helping another defendant, Zack Shahin, a US citizen and former chief executive of Deyaar, to take possession of money belonging to Deyaar. Mr Shahin has been charged with criminal complicity and receiving bribes.
"Two other cases have branched off from this case; one has already been referred to the Dubai Criminal Court," said the Dubai Attorney General, Issam al Humaidan, in a statement issued yesterday. Mr al Humaidan also said Saad Abdulrazak, an Emirati former Deyaar board member, had been charged with receiving bribes from an Emirati businessman, Ismail Aqeel al Janahi. Mr Abdulrazak and Mr al Janahi were referred to the criminal court in a separate case of bribery, he said. Mr al Humaidan said a third case would be referred to the Dubai Misdemeanours Court in which Mr Shahin and eight co-defendants were charged with betrayal of trust, fraud, forgery and revealing secrets. He said the Deyaar case was referred to the court only after the completion of exhaustive investigations over several months.
Auditing took a long time because of the many incidents of financial wrongdoing and the large number of suspects under investigation, he said, adding that the investigation uncovered many instances of financial corruption in the tens of millions of dirhams. Other defendants named yesterday were: Jansian Krishna Kumar, an Indian advertising executive; Sharbel Butrous al Hasrouni, a Lebanese sales executive at Deyaar; Khosie Maybar, an Argentine; John Dakonha, the Australian former chief financial officer of Deyaar; Husham Saeed Khatab, a Palestinian; Goldy Oum Barkash, an Indian; Hamed Shebeer bin Khowaja, a Pakistani; and Niven Sanowal Bonjabi, an Indian.
hbathish@thenational.ae
