Dubai: A corporal who embezzled Dh43,000 from the lost-and-found section at a police station where he was posted has had his three-year jail term suspended on grounds of leniency.
In January, the Dubai Court of First Instance convicted the corporal of abusing his office and embezzling the cash brought in by his colleagues to the lost-and-found section where he worked. He was handed a three-year jail term and fined Dh43,000 although he pleaded not guilty.
The defendant appealed the primary ruling before the Appeal Court and asked for a reduced punishment after having paid back the money.
Citing grounds of leniency, the Appeal Court suspended the jail term for three years but upheld the Dh43,000 fine against the corporal. The accused had admitted to prosecutors that he did take the money from a transparent envelope that was brought into his section by his colleague.
“When my coworker brought a carton full of lost and found items and envelopes that contained money, I put the box down on the floor beside my desk. I took advantage of the fact that my colleagues were busy with their duties and took the biggest envelope. Then I taped the box again so that nobody would notice what I had done. I paid Dh15,000 for modifications to my car and I spent the rest on entertainment,” the defendant was quoted as telling prosecutors.
A police first corporal testified that a sum of Dh43,000 left behind by a hotel guest had been turned in at the lost-and-found section. “The lost and found items are usually recorded separately. While checking out the envelopes, we discovered that the envelope that contained the Dh43,000 was missing,” he claimed.
Records said another policeman was accused initially of embezzlement before the defendant confessed that he had taken the money.
The appellate judgement remains subject to appeal before the Cassation Court within 28 days.
