Dubai: A banker and three men have been jailed for three years for forging bank documents of five clients and embezzling Dh1.8 million.

The 36-year-old Indian banker had forged a number of electronic documents [bank statements and receipts] and tampered with clients’ details between August 2015 and February 2017.

Then he changed the names of the holders of several bank accounts before he wired around Dh1.8 million on several transfers from five clients’ accounts to bogus accounts bearing the names of his three countrymen.

On Monday, the Dubai Court of First Instance jailed the 36-year-old accused for three years and fined him Dh250,000.

Presiding judge Urfan Omar said the civil lawsuits that was lodged against the four accused will be referred to the Dubai Civil Court.

The three Indian men, who had taken the money and absconded, were sentenced in absentia.

The four defendants will be deported following the completion of their punishments.

One of the bank’s credit department officers was carrying out an internal audit when he discovered the fraud.

After reporting the matter to the police, the 36-year-old banker was apprehended. The other three culprits remain at large and police are searching for them.

The 36-year-old tampered with clients’ confidential details and forged e-documents and transactions to embezzle amounts that varied between Dh185,000 and Dh430,000 upon different occasions. The absconders were also charged with forgery and embezzlement.

The 36-year-old defendant pleaded guilty on five counts of forgery and embezzlement, but denied several others.

He told the court that he and other co-workers were stationed at the same desktop that had been used to carry out the forgery and money transfer activities.

The officer said upon conducting a random internal audit check he discovered discrepancies in clients’ details.

“The details of certain clients that were mentioned on the e-transactions were different than those on the hard copies. I checked several electronic transactions of money transfers … further investigations revealed that money had been embezzled from five clients’ accounts. The 36-year-old defendant had used the desktop where he was stationed and altered the names of bank clients and wired money from the old accounts to new accounts … most of the clients were Iranian,” the officer said.

Monday’s ruling remains subject to appeal within 15 days.