Executives fined Dhs9.7 million for fraud
DUBAI: A ports authority’s global sales manager implicated in funneling construction tenders to ineligible contractors againstdhs4.85m“sweets” (BRIBES), was ined DHS9.7 million with two executives, on Monday.
The Emirati manager, 29, received Dhs500,000 from a contracting company’s Egyptian director, 59, to help him win the tender of building an African president’s villa in Jumeirah area.
She received Dhs4,350,000 from the Jordanian chief of a construction company, 49, for him to undertake the construction of a container handling terminal at a Dubai port, the Criminal Court learnt.
The deals were brokered by a Syrian businesswoman, 54, and bribes were laundered through the account of the technical services irm of A LEBANESE Businessman, 55, in form of technical advice fees.
The chief, broker and businessman concocted a written agreement indicating that THE irm would RECEIVE 6 per Cent of the project’s Dhs72.5m budget for offering (ghost) technical advice.
They and the manager laundered Dhs2.175m from the construction company’ s Account to THE law irm’s Account masked as consultation fees. The businessman received commissions worth Dhs100,000.
The court sentenced the manager to 18 months in jail plus paying a Dhs4,850,000 ine, THE CHIEF to one year In JAIL plus paying A DHS4,350,000 ine AND THE Director For one year plus paying A DHS500,000 ine.
It imprisoned the businessman for three months and the broker for one year. It also ordered that all cash pertaining to THE CASE BE Coniscated.
The activities that began on January 1, 2012 surfaced on March 26, 2014 after the broker cried as she contacted the chief’s construction company’s mother company demanding Dhs800,000 of the remaining Dhs1.975m.
Its CEO told her the terminal’s project was pro it less and their company was black listed because of the subordinate company’ s poor implementation. The broker warned THE Construction Company’s oficials.
They alerted the ports’ manager about it and the latter advised them to ignore her. She threatened to shame the manager who insisted on taking the lion’s share. She contacted the state security agency.
In Bur Dubai Police Station records, THE MANAGER ASKED THE Broker to ind a contracting company with the lowest asking price, and tell it to pay Dhs500,000 to win the tender to construct the presidential villa.
Both agreed to share the “sweets”. The broker brought her seven companies not registered in the authority’s e-system. The manager emailed them to hurry and send their data to the authority.
She endorsed the contracting company. It completed the project atdhs5.7m instead of a sum worth around Dhs10m that was in the budget, according to the manager’s senior at the authority.
In 2012 the manager asked the broker to ind Companies For THE terminal’s Construction, with asking prices extremely lower than the Dhs80m budget. Both agreed to share the “sweets” as usual.
The manager advised the construction company’s competitor to set its asking price At Dhs73m. At THE Competition’s inal STAGE, the construction company suddenly changed its asking price from 74m to Dhs72.5m and won the tender.