Dubai: An Emirati female health official, her uncle and six others yesterday denied charges of bribery and forging more than 20 health certificates to individuals with infectious diseases.

Prosecutors accused the 25-year-old Emirati woman, who worked for the Dubai Health Authority, of accepting Dh30,000 in bribe from her 42-year-old Indian uncle, to abuse her duty and issue forged health certificates to individuals with infectious diseases.

The 42-year-old uncle, R.A., who had a typing centre, according to prosecution records, used to hand over medical fitness applications for individuals with infectious diseases (such as hepatitis or Aids) to his 25-year-old niece, N.M., during her evening shift to stamp them with free-of-infectious-diseases stamp.

Meanwhile, prosecutors charged two of the Authority's clerks, a 28-year-old Iranian I.M. and a 30-year-old Indian A.S., with accepting Dh45,000 in bribe from four Pakistani workers to process similarly forged health certificates for them.

"No I am not guilty… I didn't accept any bribe," N.M. argued before the Dubai Court of First Instance yesterday.

Not guilty plea

Her uncle, R.A., pleaded not guilty when he defended himself before Presiding Judge Hamad Abdul Latif Abdul Jawad claiming: "I did not forge any application. I am confident of my innocence."

I.M., A.S. and the four Pakistani workers were charged with accepting and offering bribe and forging health certificates and producing them to the Department of Residency and Foreigners' Affairs in Dubai.

The workers were identified as 33-year-old S.K., 35-year-old S.Q., 38-year-old K.R. and 45-year-old N.B.

I.M., A.S. and S.Q. pleaded not guilty. S.K., K.R. and N.B. were absent during yesterday's trial.

An Emirati second lieutenant testified that an informant tipped Dubai Police's CID that an Asian suspect was issuing health certificates to individuals with infectious diseases from one of the Authority's fitness centres.

"We arrested S.K. who ran a typing centre. During interrogation, he admitted that he collected from S.Q. applications for individuals with infectious diseases and needed to renew their residence [permit] or have new ones issued." He claimed that they used to collect Dh500-Dh1,000 for the applications."

Contacts

According to the second lieutenant, S.K. allegedly typed the applications and gave them to S.Q. who in turn gave them to K.R. and N.B. He said K.R. and N.B. had contacts in the Authority who issued certificates stamped "free-of-infectious-diseases".

He continued: "We detained S.Q., who immediately admitted that I.M. and A.S., who worked in fitness centres, used to issue for him the forged certificates".

Prosecution records showed that K.R. was arrested and confirmed S.K.'s confession.

The second lieutenant further testified: "We arrested A.S., who worked in Al Safa fitness centre. He confessed that he used to sneak into the centre and stamp the applications before giving them back to K.R. and N.B. Primary interrogations unveiled that I.M. used to forge applications through another channel with the assistance of R.A. and N.M."

An Emirati woman, who is an assistant administrative officer at the Authority, testified that she was N.M.'s boss. She said several applications went missing when N.M. was on night shift. She said N.M. was questioned and moved to another section.

The trial continues.