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29 March 2024

Defence queries expert testimony in Nakheel case

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 The Dubai Criminal Court adjourned for verdict until November 7 the Nakheel – The World corruption case in which five other than the prime accused SR, Canadian, sales consultant, who committed suicide last July are accused with bribe and embezzlements.

Salem Al Shaali, the defence lawyer of LSG, Canadian, suspected the accuracy and authenticity of the expert’s report and asked the court to assign another expert.

“My client is not involved in the case and there was a genuine buyer of the subject islands. The expert of the Financial Control Department is investigating more than 70 embezzlement and corruption cases. And, a number of reports he has prepared were proved baseless and mere assumptions. His accusation to my client of not registering the name of the buyer is not related to the case at all,” Al Shaali defended before the jury.

However, the jury decided to adjourn the case for verdict.
 
In the previous hearing Saeed Al Ghailani, the defence lawyer of the prime accused SRS has submitted to the Court the death certificate. SRS has committed suicide on the day he was bailed by the Dubai Criminal Court on July 7.


The court was supposed to receive a statement from the Dubai Residency and Foreign Affairs Department regarding whether there affirmative witnesses who were supposed to attend the hearing but were not reached by the prosecution.

The three witnesses who have all left their job at Nakheel are: Manal Shaheen, a UAE National, former CEO; Jan Antonija, South African former legal advisor, and Issam Al Aqqad, former financial manager.

On July 8, the court was supposed to make a verdict in the case but the jury decided to reconvene to hear more prosecution witnesses so it has also decided to bail the prime accused SR, 31, former sales consultant at Nakheel who was accused of receiving Dh22m bribe and causing the company to lose about Dh11m, who on the day of getting bailed had rented a room in a hotel and jumped on to the street.

The other five including SR’s father were accused with criminal complicity and paying bribes.

LS, 59, Canadian woman, and BS, British, were accused of offering Dh16.668m bribe to SR for booking them five islands in the project.

AS, Bangladeshi was accused of offering SR Dh2.7m for booking three islands. SM, Russian, was accused of offering Dh2.4m bribe for booking two islands.

SR and other accused have only filled reservation forms where the names of the buyers were not mentioned and against which 15 per cent of the value, down payment, should have been paid.

The accused failed to conclude the necessary “expression of interest” deal where the name of the buyer(s) must be mentioned.

RS, the father of SR, was accused of abetting his son in the crime by opening a bank account and giving his son the authority to manage it with his knowledge of receiving bribes.

The court has given bail to SR after his passport and his guarantor’s passport were submitted to the authorities.

SR also had to commit to a pledge of paying Dh6m should he violated the terms of the guarantee.

LS is on bail as well, while the other accused at large.