A man detained at Dubai airport on suspicion of smuggling has also been charged with bribery after customs officers said he offered them cash to let him go.
The Asian man was stopped at Terminal 3 and officials said his bag contained forged documents, including EU Schengen and Cuba entry visas.
Ali Maqhawi, a customs inspector, said he noticed the man seemed anxious and confused.
He scanned the man’s bags, which appeared to contain “strange objects”. Mr Maqhawi said he opened one of the bags and found forged stamps bearing official EU emblems.
He said the man then offered him foreign currency not to report him. Mr Maqhawi said he refused and told a superior.
The man was then charged with smuggling and bribery. Mr Maqhawi said the accused tried to bribe him again, along with his superior. They contacted the police and the case has been referred to the public prosecution. A court date has yet to be set.
Mr Maqhawi said: “The ethics of the profession and country loving is the foundation upon which the inspector’s personality relies.
"Dubai Customs does not just rely on training inspectors in business skills, inspection methods and detecting prohibitions, it also works on developing and enhancing the spirit of loyalty, belonging and job ethics that are helpful for them to perform their duties successfully."
halbustani@thenational.ae
TWISTERS
Director:+Lee+Isaac+Chung
Starring:+Glen+Powell,+Daisy+Edgar-Jones,+Anthony+Ramos
Rating:+2.5/5
Jawab Iteiqal
Director: Mohamed Sammy
Starring: Mohamed Ramadan, Ayad Nasaar, Mohamed Adel and Sabry Fawaz
2 stars
Company profile
Name: Belong
Based: Dubai
Founders: Michael Askew and Matthew Gaziano
Sector: Technology
Total funding: $3.5 million from crowd funding and angel investors
Number of employees: 12
Islamic Architecture: A World History
Author: Eric Broug
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Pages: 336
Available: September
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
End of free parking
- paid-for parking will be rolled across Abu Dhabi island on August 18
- drivers will have three working weeks leeway before fines are issued
- areas that are currently free to park - around Sheikh Zayed Bridge, Maqta Bridge, Mussaffah Bridge and the Corniche - will now require a ticket
- villa residents will need a permit to park outside their home. One vehicle is Dh800 and a second is Dh1,200.
- The penalty for failing to pay for a ticket after 10 minutes will be Dh200
- Parking on a patch of sand will incur a fine of Dh300
Tewellah by Nawal Zoghbi is out now.
Company Profile
Name: JustClean
Based: Kuwait with offices in other GCC countries
Launch year: 2016
Number of employees: 130
Sector: online laundry service
Funding: $12.9m from Kuwait-based Faith Capital Holding
SPECS
Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
On sale: Now
Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
Director: Nag Ashwin
Starring: Prabhas, Saswata Chatterjee, Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan, Shobhana
Rating: ★★★★