Dubai: The owner of a medical centre lured a woman manager to his office where he hugged her and tried to kiss her, heard a court on Wednesday.

The medical centre’s Indian manager was said to be present at her workplace when her countryman owner called her to his office in August.

Once the woman came into the office, the 58-year-old owner praised the manager’s beauty, according to records, and he turned flirtatious as he described her physical appearance.

Obviously disturbed by the owner’s behaviour, the woman turned her back and tried to leave the office before the man came in her way, hugged her and tried to kiss her.

The manager remained silent about what had happened until the medical centre’s owner repeated the same immoral behaviour in December when the woman resigned and left the workplace.

She reported the matter to the police who summoned the owner for interrogation.

Prosecutors accused the Indian suspect of molesting the woman and breaching her privacy and modesty.

“That is absolutely not true … she fabricated this case. She lodged it out of malice because there is a labour dispute between us,” argued the suspect when he pleaded not guilty before the Dubai Court of First Instance on Wednesday.

The medical centre owner contended before presiding judge Fahd Al Shamsi: “The complainant asked me for money to drop her case. She fabricated this case after alleging that she hadn’t taken her salary.”

The woman manager told prosecutors that the suspect molested her the first time when he called her to his office in August.

“He spoke in a flirtatious manner with me. When I tried to leave his office, he hugged me and tried to kiss me. I remained silent about what had happened the first time because I didn’t have a solid proof to justify my compliant. In December, he spoke to me flirtatiously when he spoke loudly and bluntly before colleagues about my figure and beauty. He tried to pull up my sleeves … I resigned and left the centre,” she testified to prosecutors.

An Indian receptionist told prosecutors that she saw the suspect lift the sleeves of the manager’s shirt.

“His attitude irritated her … she didn’t say a word but she only pulled herself back. She kept on reporting to work for around 10 days until she told me that she had resigned. Several co-workers had resigned from the centre for mismanagement and non-payment of salaries,” she testified to prosecutors.

The trial continues.