DNRD staffer issues 118 visas illegally

An employee of Dubai Naturalisation and Foreigners Affairs Department (DNRD) allegedly accepted a bribe of Dh9,000 in addition to electronic products against issuing 118 parental residency visa to sponsors who were not entitled to bring their parents into the UAE.

Afghan sales representative, DS, 29, had mediated between two Indians and the DNRD employee for issuance of the residence visa and was paid Dh5,500 for his service.

AM, 45, businessman, and AA, 42, procurement representative, both at large, are accused of offering a total of Dh9,000 to the DNRD employee over three months via the middle man.

An employee, who was assigned to check transactions for malpractices or illegalities, found out that the DNRD employee MJ, 32, Emirati, had misused his authority and issued residence visas to families of ineligible sponsors. The employee tried to conceal his crime by returning visa applications to applicants.

However, DNRD can check on applications electronically even if there is no hard copy. This can be done by checking via the user’s log in ID and checking the transactions processed.

“I found out that MJ had issued residencies from the beginning of 2014 till September of the same year to expatriates whose salaries were below the required amount, their professions were not included in the list of eligible professions or to those who had failed to submit a lease contract,” said First Corporal Mansour Omar.

The officer confronted MJ with the illegalities and the latter admitted to the crime. MJ confessed that AM, Afghan, used to bring him residency applications of expatriates not entitled to sponsor their families.

AM was arrested and he confessed about two Indians who had given him applications for issue of residence visas to illegible expatriates including cooks, office boys and drivers whose salaries were below the specified Dh4,000.

The department found out that the accused had illegally processed 118 residence visas.

In addition to Dh9,000 in cash that the Afghani had given to the DNRD employee, he offered him three mobile phones and an iPad.

The court will reconvene on April 19.