Three men accused of attempting to bribe a Dubai Civil Defence inspector

The men allegedly offered the inspector Dh50,000 to lift a work ban imposed on a security company

Three men are accused of attempting to bribe a civil defence inspector in exchange for lifting a work ban imposed on their security company, Dubai Criminal Court heard on Tuesday.

Two of the defendants, a 35-year-old Egyptian and a 40-year-old Emirati who are managers at the company, offered the government inspector Dh50,000 on August 3 last year to help them lift a work ban on their company, which was put in place after it failed to meet safety and security rules.

The bribe was offered to the inspector by a third man, an Egyptian who is a technician at the same company, on behalf of the other two men, prosecutors said.

The 47-year-old Sudanese inspector reported the incident to Dubai police and worked with them on the setting of a trap, leading to the arrest of the three defendants. He contacted two of the men and arranged to meet them in Al Khor, according to court documents.

Police provided the inspector with a recording machine before the meeting and he recorded the defendants as they told him of their plan to lift the ban.

The third defendant paid Dh10,000 to the inspector and promised to pay the rest of the money after the ban was lifted. Police officers arrested him after the meeting.

The other two suspects confessed to police that they had agreed to bribe the inspector and handed over the money to the third suspect.

All three denied bribery and their lawyer requested the court give them more time to prepare their defence.

The next hearing will be on February 21.