(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Three men, including a Pakistani driver and two petrol station employees, have each been sentenced to six months in jail for embezzling more than Dh58,000 worth of fuel in cash after misusing a card given to the driver by his former workplace.
The two petrol station employees, a Nepali and a Filipino - aged 24 and 34, respectively - stood trial in absentia in Dubai's Court of First Instance. They managed to embezzle the money on different occasions after forging and tampering with electronic receipts pertaining to more than 30 fuel purchase transactions.
Public Prosecutions records show the pair would save in the e-system the bogus transactions, but in reality would pocket the money without any filling any fuel.
The Pakistani driver, 37, was accused of embezzling thousands by 'abusing trust' and misusing a fuel refilling card. He is responsible for as many as 68 illegal transactions on the, card which was given to him for work -related trips.
The driver was also accused of aiding and abetting the two station staff in the crime. He earlier denied charges of embezzlement of public money, complicity in forgery of e-receipts and use of forged e-documents.
The court slapped a Dh10,000 fine on each one of them on forgery charges. It also ordered them to pay other fines - equal to the amounts they embezzled - and ordered their deportation after they served their jail terms.
The embezzlement began in November 2015 and lasted till October 2016. It was reported to Al Muraqqabat police station.
The Indian supervisor of 400 drivers, operating under a group of companies, said the Pakistani driver had been working with them for three years. "Each driver is given a car and a card to buy fuel. In May 2016, we received an accounting report for the first quarter of the year that more than Dh15,000 was used on the driver's card, which was relatively a large amount".
The supervisor called for the driver for further inquiry.
"He denied any excessive use by him of the card and alleged it was lost," the supervisor added.
However, following an internal probe along with studying CCTV footage from petrol stations, it became clear the driver on trial was the one who had used the card. A detailed statement showed he was responsible for 87 illegal transactions, which he pocketed.
Marie Nammour
MENAFN0812201700490000ID1096208983
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.