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29 March 2024

Fake Dubai Municipal inspectors give Dh300,000 fine

Published
By Eman Al Baik

A businessman was shocked to learn that Dubai Municipality inspectors had imposed a huge fine of Dh300,000, claiming that the premises his company operated from is not licensed.

This happened in November 2010 when the company’s owner was on vacation in India.

“I was in India when the fine was issued. When I returned from vacation, a manager informed me about the hefty fine. I was shocked because I have been operating from the same premises for the past 20 years,” said the company’s owner, BS, 55.

A compatriot then approached the company saying that he heard about the fine and expressed willingness to help in reducing the amount with the help of his sponsor who worked for CID and knew officials in Dubai Municipality.

“He later came along with the two ‘inspectors’ and a Pakistani and asked for Dh150,000 to reduce the fine. I told them that the company did not have this huge amount and asked them to wait until the return of my sponsor,” testified SS, an employee who was made to sign on the fine’s receipt and was given mobile phone numbers of the ‘inspectors’ to call them after arranging the money.

When the company’s owner returned from vacation, he double checked the fine with Dubai Municipality and found out that it was forged and that there was no fine in the records of the civic body. So the police was informed.

“Police asked me to carry on with the ‘inspectors’ and to negotiate the amount. The ‘inspectors’ visited the company several times and each time they reduced the amount they claimed that municipality officials too can reduce the fine. A meeting in a shopping centre was agreed upon to hand over Dh40,000,” said the company’s owner.

Police found out that the document used for issuing the fine was genuine as it was taken from a notebook which belonged to a Dubai Municipality inspector.

The inspector MS told police that he had reported to his senior that some fine receipts from the notebook in his custody were missing. But his senior did not approve informing the police.

The Court sentenced fake inspectors NM and HO, who also forged the fine receipt, to one year suspended jail term in October 2012.

JS, who claimed that his sponsor can help reduce the fine, was sentenced to one year suspended jail term and deportation after conviction for criminal complicity.

NH, 44, Pakistani, an absconder, was recently arrested and is being prosecuted on the charge of criminal complicity.

The Court will reconvene on December 22.