Retrial for Dubai prosecution official accused of involvement in Dh30m fraud

A public prosecution offical accused of involvement in a Dh30 million fraud is back in court for a retrial.

DUBAI // A public prosecution official accused of being involved in a Dh30 million fraud has appeared in court for the start of his retrial.
Emirati M?B, 38, a former secretary to the chief cassation prosecutor, denies helping to defraud a businessman by encouraging him to invest in non-existent projects.
Prosecutors told the Criminal Court he impersonated a senior public prosecutor and fabricated documents to help five Palestinians - who have been jailed for between one and five years - to con the businessman.
In court he was presented with a fake identity card and asked whether it belonged to him. He said he "had never even touched it" and his lawyer asked the judge to send the card for forensic testing.
The judge agreed and summoned the public prosecution's human resources representative to appear on a charge of issuing fake identity cards.
Prosecutors said the group encouraged Palestinian businessman S?A, 33, into investing in projects and buying cranes and machinery by forging contracts that made him believe he could sell them on for a profit.
When the businessman reported the gang to police they threatened him with physical and sexual assault. One member threatened to chop him into pieces and throw them to the fish in Dubai Creek.
The five Palestinians - M?G, 51, a businessman; his wife M?Z, 40, an employee at Dubai Commercial Bank; M?O, 40, and I?Z, 31, employees of Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank; and student MA, 26 - were convicted of embezzlement, forgery and issuing threats.
M?G was jailed for five years and the rest to one year. They will all be deported after their release.
The Emirati was found guilty in absentia. A retrial was obligatory after he was taken into custody.
The next hearing was scheduled for November 20.
[e-mail]