Emirati jailed 20 years over Dh16m fine

A civil court in Dubai sentenced an Emirati man to 20 years in prison for failing to pay Dh16 million for the Dubai government, the first verdict of its kind to be taken by that court, press reports said on Tuesday.

The unidentified man had been convicted in a corruption case in May and ordered by a criminal court to pay back the funds plus a fine-- a total of Dh16 million-- for the Dubai government, the semi official daily Alittihad said.

It quoted civil court chief judge Ahmed Saif as saying he handed down the fresh sentence against the defendant in line with a state fund recovery law issued in 2009 by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister, Ruler of Dubai.

“It is the first sentence of its kind since that law was enforced…the court is also hearing a similar case involving around Dh625,000,” he said.

He said Dubai government had filed a case against that defendant to pay back all the funds and the fine, adding that he had appealed the verdict to jail him 20 years. He noted that according to the law, the verdict could be scrapped in case the defendant pays all the dues or the plaintiff agrees to drop the case against him.

“This law is not confined to embezzling state funds but also private sector and individual funds swindled by others,” he said.

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