Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Appeal Court on Monday upheld the three-year jail sentence awarded to a businessman who bought a fancy car number plate in a special auction but issued a dud cheque for Dh31 million.
The 33-year-old Emirati businessman bought the Abu Dhabi No. 1 licence plate in November 2016 at the Vanity Number Plate Auction commemorating Abu Dhabi government’s golden jubilee at Emirates Palace hotel in the capital. The cheque he gave the organisers for Dh31 million bounced on submission.
Earlier, the Abu Dhabi Misdemeanours Court had sentenced him to three years in jail after he was found guilty of fraud and issuing a dud cheque.
The prosecutors charged him with fraud and issuing a dud cheque after he admitted to being aware of the insufficient balance in his bank account when he issued the cheque.
He was so excited at winning the number in 2016 and told Gulf News at that time, “I’m so excited that I won plate number 1, it feels amazing and I was willing to pay any amount to get the plate number. I often come to auctions like this and fetch the most unique numbers at the highest bids.”
