Dubai: A former Public Prosecution employee has been jailed for five years for posing as a chief prosecutor and defrauding a businessman of Dh30 million in business deals.

The Emirati ex-employee, M.B., was said to have cheated the Palestinian businessman, S.S., by claiming he was a chief prosecutor using forged identification documents.

Five Palestinian defendants, including a woman, were accused of involvement in the case which happened in 2009.

The Dubai Court of First Instance sentenced one of the Palestinian defendants, 52-year-old Ma.G. to five years in jail.

Meanwhile his younger brother, 45-year-old Mu.G., was sentenced to one year in jail.

The female defendant, M.Z., and her two brothers, A.Z. and Mo.Z., were sentenced to one year in jail.

“M.B. has been sentenced in absentia. The six defendants will have to jointly pay Dh21,000 in temporary compensation to the claimant [S.S.],” said presiding judge Maher Salama Al Mahdi in courtroom three following three years of court proceedings. The five Palestinians will be deported after serving their jail terms.

Prosecutors referred the case to court in December 2010. They charged M.B. with impersonating a prosecutor and threatening to kill the businessman.

“I did not impersonate a prosecutor’s job. I didn’t threaten to kill S.S… it’s not true. I didn’t swindle or defraud him,” said M.B. when he first appeared in court. Records said the Emirati attended a few hearings before skipping the rest of the trial.

Ma.G. and his brother Mu.G., pleaded not guilty.

Meanwhile the woman defendant and her brothers denied the accusations.

According to the charge sheet, M.B. forged an identification card claiming that he was a prosecutor.

He then showed the forged document to S.S. and threatened to kill him if he refused to drop his case (bounced cheques and threatening behaviour) against the 52-year-old who was currently in prison.

The 45-year-old brother was accused of threatening to chop S.S. into pieces and throw him in Dubai Creek.

Prosecutors accused A.Z. of threatening S.S. to have him raped if he refused to release the 52-year-old out of prison.

The 52-year-old and M.B. were charged with forging purchase orders and handing them to S.S.

According to prosecution records, M.Z. (the 49-year-old’s wife) was accused of forging a business card, claiming she was a bank manager and submitting it to S.S. and another person.

All the defendants (except the 45-year-old) were charged with conning Dh30 million from S.S.

Prosecutors said the 52-year-old claimed to S.S. that he ran companies and convinced him to invest his money in building and construction materials.

The 52-year-old agreed with S.S. to take his money (against guarantee cheques) to buy building materials and sell them to the companies and repay him the amount along with the profits.

Prosecution records said M.B. told S.S. that he was a prosecutor and descended from a wealthy family. He did so to confirm the 52-year-old’s claims (concerning the business) and told S.S. that he (M.B.) invested his money and made a good profit.

Since the trial started in 2010, the court referred the case to a committee of financial experts a number of times.

Wednesday’s judgment remains subject to appeal within 15 days.

Sources close to the case told Gulf News that at least one of the defendants has already appealed the primary judgment.