Bribery case: 2 govt employees on trial for helping to legalise re-entry of deported people

A deported Indian managed to enter the UAE illegally and with the help of a gang of four, including two government employees, managed to get his passport stamped with the entry and residency seals, the Dubai Criminal Court heard.

The deported AR managed to acquire a passport in another name, MF. He used the new passport to get the entry stamp and the work visa on it to legalise his stay in the UAE.

He got the residence visa stamped on his passport without applying for Emirates ID or the medical test.

For this, he paid Dh16,000 that the four members of the gang split amongst themselves. He managed that through his compatriot friend AK, 47.

AK, 47, contacted AJ, 43, Egyptian, whom he had met in prison and became friends. AK was serving a jail term for a bounced cheque while his Egyptian friend was serving his sentence for forgery.

“I met AJ in the prison in 2009 and became friends and we kept communicating with each other from time to time after finishing our prison terms,” AK said.

“In November 2013, AJ called and told me that he can process transactions with the DNRD and the Labour Ministry and asked me to contact him if I knew anyone who needed such services.

“I told him about an Indian who had been deported and entered the country illegally and managed get a new passport with a different name. I asked him if he can stamp the new passport with an entry stamp. He answered me positively and asked for Dh15,000. He also told me that he will charge the same for any other similar service,” AK told investigators.

The Indian prison friend informed an officer in the DNRD about the matter and the latter asked him to carry on with the Egyptian.

On the request of the DNRD officer, AK gave the passport of the deported man together with Dh5,000 as advance payment  to the Egyptian under the supervision of the officer.

“Half an hour later, the Egyptian told me that the passport is ready with the entry stamp on it,” AK said.

AK met the Egyptian and later his compatriot MS, 42, came and collected the balance amount and left.

The Egyptian told his old prison friend that he can arrange the residency stamp for the holder of the new passport without applying for ID and the medical test in return for Dh3,000.

“I called the deported Indian and told him about the deal and as he agreed, I handed over the passport and the work visa to the Egyptian,” AK told investigators.

On the following day, AK collected the passport from the Egyptian and it carried the residency stamp and he gave him Dh3,000 paid by the deported Indian.

The operation was done with the knowledge and under supervision of Corporal Tareq Abdullah, an officer at the Preventive Security Department at the DNRD.

Corporal Abdullah told investigators that the department had learnt about an Egyptian who can legalise the visa status of deported people through a DNRD employee. The informer told about a deported Indian who had entered the country illegally and was trying to avail of the Egyptian’s service.

“I checked the status of the Indian and found out that he had been deported on August 14, 2010. Later, I checked in the electronic system about his name in the new passport and found out the person had entered the country on November 11, 2013,” said Abdullah.

The informer was assigned to trap the Egyptian and was supplied with a recorder.

On the following day, the Indian prison friend told the Egyptian about another Indian who had been deported and re-entered the country illegally and is seeking to legalise his stay in the country like the first one.

The two met and the Indian handed the Egyptian Dh5,000 with the new customer’s passport and visa.

The Egyptian and his compatriot MA, 42, were arrested red handed after they handed over the passport which carried the entry stamp to the informer and collected the money.

MA admitted that he liaised with DNRD employees AA, Yemeni, to stamp the passports of the two deported Indians and with MS, 35, to get the residence visa stamped on one of the passports.

AA took from him Dh8,000 and MS took Dh3,000 and he took the remaining amount while his compatriot took Dh500.

During the arrest of the Yemeni employee, he excused himself by saying he needed to go to the toilet and managed to flee, according to the records.

The authorities could not arrest the first deported Indian and he is being prosecuted in absentia.

The two Egyptians and the Emirati officer denied the accusations before the court which will reconvene on June 26.

 

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