Pair jailed for selling Dubai building inspection clearance letters

One of the men worked for a partner company of Dubai Civil Defence

A computer engineer who accepted bribes to fraudulently produce Dubai building inspection clearance letters has been sentenced to three years in prison, and so has his accomplice. 

The Jordanian accused, 33, worked for an IT company that partnered with Dubai Civil Defence to develop an online services program and provide technical support.

He was stationed at their headquarters in Al Qusais to provide technical support for the programme and during May last year he was approached by an Omani public relations officer, 35, who offered him bribes to forge letters that wrongly said that certain buildings were equipped with fire extinguishers and had complied with fire safety regulations.

Police were tipped off about the Omani, who was mediating between the Jordanian and customers who were buying the forged letters.

He was later apprehended as he took money from an undercover officer posing as a customer. Each clearance letter cost Dh4,000.

The Jordanian man was then also arrested, and he told police he had been altering letters between May and August last year. 

"He said he forged six letters and deleted them from the system after the customers had printed them," said an Emirati Lieutenant, 28.

The Jordanian was convicted of accepting bribes, forgery, use of forged documents, gaining illegal access to the DCD electronic system and abusing the authority assigned to him.

The Omani man was convicted of offering bribes and aiding and abetting.

Both men were sentenced to three years in prison, and fined Dh205,000.