An official at the port of Jebel Ali in Dubai was offered a bribe for passing six containers of seized sandalwood.
Seven people appeared before the trial court on Sunday for trying to bribe a customs inspector at the Jebel Ali port in Dubai last October.
One of the defendants, a 26-year-old man of Emirate descent, denies allegations of trying to bribe an official for 600 thousand dirhams ($ 163.3 thousand), proposed by the Syrian manager for passing six containers with sandalwood seized in the port. The manager, who works in the field of cargo clearance, also denies taking part in the offer of a bribe to a government official, as well as five other people involved in the case: a 27-year-old Egyptian accountant, an Indian cook, two Yemenis (one of them is a policeman), and 28-year-old police lieutenant, emirate.
The incident dates from October last year. The above containers arrived from India. During the investigation, it turned out that the manager was looking for the help of a person to register a prohibited product that belonged to a man of Indian descent.
The emirate, who responded on the Internet, told the suspect manager that he has a friend who works at customs. According to case files, he allegedly sent the relevant documents to the WhatsApp inspector, offering to buy each container for 100 thousand dirhams ($ 27.2 thousand).
“He called me again a few minutes later and said that the manager knows other employees in the port who will request for the service 120 thousand dirhams $ 32.7 thousand,” the customs inspector told investigators.
The inspector pretended to accept the proposal, and took time to think it over, and he informed his boss and customs director about the proposal received. In his statement, the employee also emphasized that they wanted to engage him in fraud with another 11 containers of prohibited and fake goods.
