Dubai: A visitor has been accused of offering Dh800 in bribe to two inspectors at the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) not to fine him after he was caught carpooling.
The 34-year-old Indian visitor, L.K., was said to have approached three Bangladeshi men and offered to take them to Al Ain for Dh200 before he was caught by the RTA inspectors in May.
Records said when the inspectors were writing the ticket, the suspect came to their car and paid them Dh800 in bribe to cancel the fine.
Prosecutors accused L.K. of offering a bribe to public servants [RTA inspectors] in order not to do their job [issue him a carpooling fine].
The Indian suspect entered a not guilty plea before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Tuesday.
“I did not offer any bribe,” the suspect told presiding judge Mohammad Jamal.
One of the RTA inspectors testified to prosecutors that he and his colleague were on duty near Dubai International Airport when they spotted the defendant approaching the Bangladeshi men.
“The suspect walked towards those men and spoke to them … then they all headed to a car parked in a sandy spot. I stepped out of the vehicle and went towards the suspect. When I asked him if he knew those men, he claimed that they were his friends and that he was driving them to Al Ain. When I asked the trio, they claimed that he had offered to drive them to Al Ain for Dh200. When I confronted L.K. with what they said, he immediately admitted that he had offered to drive them for money. I asked him to wait in his car and went to my vehicle to issue a fine … while I was writing the fine, he came towards us and knocked on the window. My colleague opened the window and the suspect put Dh800 on the dashboard. We asked him why he put that money on the dashboard and he said ‘to cancel the fine’. Thereafter we reported the matter to the police who came and detained him,” said the inspector.
The suspect’s lawyer asked presiding judge Jamal to summon the inspectors to hear their statements when the court reconvenes on August 23.
