Dubai: A former sales agent at telecommunications company du has been cleared of soliciting a bribe of Dh500 from a customer to assign the latter a special number.
Citing lack of substantiated evidence, the Dubai Court of First Instance acquitted the suspect, S.H, 26, a Tunisian national, of abuse of public office (in his capacity as an agent of du) and requesting a bribe to issue a special number to a client.
The suspect strongly denied the accusation and contended that he did not ask for any bribe while entering a not-guilty plea before the court.
Prosecution records said S.H. was caught accepting the bribe during a sting operation.
According to the charges sheet, S.H. collected Dh500 from an Emirati engineer, T.A, to assign him a special number. T.A. cooperated with the police to nail the suspect in a sting operation, prosecutors said.
An Emirati police lieutenant testified that an informant alerted them that S.H. accepted bribes to sell internet services to clients of du.
“The informant claimed that the Tunisian allegedly sells internet services to clients and keeps the money for himself. T.A. posed as a client wanting to buy internet services from S.H. The stakeout out team spotted the suspect putting the money in his pocket when T.A. paid him Dh500. S.H. confessed that he pocketed the revenue from selling internet services because he needed the money,” the lieutenant testified.
T.A. testified: “I met the suspect at a du booth when I wanted to buy a mobile number. When I was about to leave the booth, he said he could sell me special numbers if I paid him Dh500. I told a friend of mine who works at du. I cooperated with the police in the sting operation.”
Thursday’s judgement remains subject to appeal within 15 days.
