A banker handed a ten-year jail term after leaking the account details of 2,500 wealthy customers in exchange for a Dh55,000 bribe has had her sentence cut after a retrial.
The 28-year-old Indian disclosed the details of clients living overseas, all of whom had a balance of at least Dh500,000, to a compatriot as part of a major embezzlement plot.
The 35-year-old fraudster, and a gang of three other men from India, subsequently made seven transfers totalling Dh1.1 million from one of the accounts in December, 2015.
The bank worker was convicted of abusing her position, accepting a bribe, divulging confidential information and with aiding and abetting, during a court hearing held in her absence.
In line with UAE law, she was granted a retrial when she appeared before court.
Her jail term was reduced to three years at the latest hearing.
She must also pay a fine of Dh205,000.
The gang of fraudsters were found guilty of offering bribes, forgery, use of forged documents, embezzlement and aiding and abetting.
Each was sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined Dh150,000.
Their sentences remain unchanged.
Prosecutors said that the defendants chose the particular account because it belonged to someone who had been out of the country for a long time.
They forged several documents, including a power of attorney attributed to the bank account holder, then submitted them to Etisalat to obtain a Sim card in his name.
They used the Sim card to obtain the victim’s online banking password, then made the transfers.
The Indian victim, 61, said that he had deactivated his UAE phone while on vacation back at his home country.
In January 2016, after his return to the UAE, the victim was informed by his bank that two cheques he had issued had bounced.
He visited the bank and was informed that his account had been frozen due to suspicions over the withdrawals carried out by the gang.
Police carried out an investigation into the transfers, leading them to one of the culprits, who then confessed his crimes and revealed the identity of his accomplices.
All defendants will be deported after serving their sentences.
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
Building boom turning to bust as Turkey's economy slows
Deep in a provincial region of northwestern Turkey, it looks like a mirage - hundreds of luxury houses built in neat rows, their pointed towers somewhere between French chateau and Disney castle.
Meant to provide luxurious accommodations for foreign buyers, the houses are however standing empty in what is anything but a fairytale for their investors.
The ambitious development has been hit by regional turmoil as well as the slump in the Turkish construction industry - a key sector - as the country's economy heads towards what could be a hard landing in an intensifying downturn.
After a long period of solid growth, Turkey's economy contracted 1.1 per cent in the third quarter, and many economists expect it will enter into recession this year.
The country has been hit by high inflation and a currency crisis in August. The lira lost 28 per cent of its value against the dollar in 2018 and markets are still unconvinced by the readiness of the government under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to tackle underlying economic issues.
The villas close to the town centre of Mudurnu in the Bolu region are intended to resemble European architecture and are part of the Sarot Group's Burj Al Babas project.
But the development of 732 villas and a shopping centre - which began in 2014 - is now in limbo as Sarot Group has sought bankruptcy protection.
It is one of hundreds of Turkish companies that have done so as they seek cover from creditors and to restructure their debts.
UAE jiu-jitsu squad
Men: Hamad Nawad and Khalid Al Balushi (56kg), Omar Al Fadhli and Saeed Al Mazroui (62kg), Taleb Al Kirbi and Humaid Al Kaabi (69kg), Mohammed Al Qubaisi and Saud Al Hammadi (70kg), Khalfan Belhol and Mohammad Haitham Radhi (85kg), Faisal Al Ketbi and Zayed Al Kaabi (94kg)
Women: Wadima Al Yafei and Mahra Al Hanaei (49kg), Bashayer Al Matrooshi and Hessa Al Shamsi (62kg)
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
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Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
