Tenant ‘threatened in front of family after winning landlord contract battle’

An Egyptian man says the landlord's brother threatened to send thugs from Syria to cause him harm.

DUBAI // A tenant was threatened – in front of his wife and children – that thugs from Syria were coming to hurt him, prosecutors told Dubai Criminal Court on Tuesday.

They said Egyptian, 41, had won an extended tenancy contract after he lodged a complaint against his landlord.

The Syrian landlord’s brother, 38, later threatened to send thugs from Syria to cause him harm, the court was told.

The brother was charged with issuing threats, while he and a 31-year-old engineer were charged with robbing the Egyptian’s office at dawn.

A third man, a public relations manager, was charged with aiding and abetting. The Syrians did not face the charges in court for reasons that were not given.

Prosecutors said the tenant started receiving threats from the landlord and his brother after he won the tenancy for an office and flat in Dubai Marina.

“The landlord’s brother met me while I was leaving the building with my wife and children, and gave me two weeks to leave or the least he would do is send me thugs from Syria,” the tenant said.

He said that in April last year, he was called by his secretary and told that the office was completely empty after the equipment and furniture had been stolen.

“After reporting the incident to police, the landlord banned me and my wife from using the tower’s car park and shut down the air conditioning in our flat,” said the man.

A Bangladeshi security guard at the tower testified that the engineer accused of stealing the office equipment came to him on the night of the theft.

“It was strange to see him at 3am,” the guard said.

“He told me a sewage pipe burst and asked me to check on it. I did and when I returned, he was not there.

“Then, in the morning, I was asked to attend to the victim’s office and police were there. I was told someone stole the office.”

A verdict is due to be issued on October 9.