Fake Dubai 'lawyer' gets 6 months in jail

Egyptian legal consultant AA, 25, was sentenced to six months in jail after a Dubai Court found him guilty of conning a compatriot of Dh33,600 by claiming to be a lawyer.

The Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance also ordered the convict to be deported after serving his jail term.

According to the records, the 49-year-old victim, SY, cook, had a rent-related bad cheque case pending in Dubai Courts.

In September, a man he knew, MS, introduced him to a lawyer to help him settle his case.

The ‘lawyer’ introduced himself to the victim as AH.

The three met in the victim’s house to discuss his case and how the lawyer could help him.

“The ‘lawyer’ asked me to give him a power of attorney for court representation and asked for Dh2,000 fees. He pretended processing the case and so I paid him a total of Dh33,600 in installments.  In the last meeting, he told me that my case had been settled and handed me a document that carried the Dubai Prosecution’s letterhead and I paid him Dh11,000. He also told me that I have to visit the Court and hand over the document he gave me,” the victim told investigators.

In the court, the cook was told that his case was still pending and that there was still an arrest warrant against him.

“I submitted the document that the ‘lawyer’ gave me and was shocked when I was told that the document is forged and that the case was still pending,” the cook told investigators.

His flat mate, YA, 24, Jordanian engineer, told investigators that he was present when some meetings were held in their house.

“One day the ‘lawyer’ came along with MS, the mediator between the two, and asked him to pay a sum of money. A couple of days later, the victim told me that the ‘lawyer’ had disappeared and was not answering his phone calls.

“Later, my flat mate contacted MS and told him that the document was forged. The later assured that they will pay him back his money. However, MS insisted that the document is genuine and asked us to check with the concerned authorities again,” the flat mate told investigators.

Police arrested the bogus lawyer who admitted to swindling the victim.

The Dubai Prosecution reported that the photocopy of the letter was forged.

In addition to forgery, AA is accused, together with a fugitive, of conning the victim of Dh33,600.

AA is currently serving a three month jail term after being found guilty of a similar swindling charge.
 

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