DUBAI // The Dubai Court of Cassation today ordered the retrial of a former Deyaar board member who is accused of receiving Dh11.75 million in bribes.
Prosecutors won their appeal at the emirate's highest court after SA, 42, saw his record fine of Dh115m reduced to Dh11.5m and his three-year sentence reduced to one year by the Dubai Court of Appeal in December 2010.
The case will be referred to the Dubai Court of Appeal for a new judicial panel to review it.
SA, who was also the chief executive of Dubai Islamic Bank, was charged on May 19, 2009, with bribery and attaining illegal interest.
SA was sentenced by the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance in March 2010. His co-defendant, the Emirati businessman IJ, was acquitted of bribery.
Prosecutors said SA accepted a Dh11.75m bribe and collected unlawful commissions to facilitate the sale of a property in Dubai to IJ.
On appeal the court amended the primary judgment against the SA and reduced the sentence after Deyaar dropped its case.
Judge Mustafa al Shennawi of the Dubai Court of Appeal said in his judgment that "The court has rejected Deyaar's two appeals after the claimant in civil rights [Deyaar] dropped its case against SA and waived its civil rights. The appellant Deyaar will pay lawyers' and civil lawsuit's fees".
SA was charged and convicted by the court as a public official as he was working for a semi-governmental institution when he allegedly accepted the bribes. However, during the trial his lawyer, Dr Habib al Mulla, presented two documents issued by the Ruler's Court confirming that SA was not a public official when he served as a board member.
"The amounts were not taken as illegal profits or bribes. My client had not abused his power as a public servant, made unlawful gains, or accepted or requested a bribe," Mr al Mulla said. Prosecutors then appealed to the Court of Cassation.
The court has yet to announce a date for the retrial.
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Emergency
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Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
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Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
The details
Heard It in a Past Life
Maggie Rogers
(Capital Records)
3/5
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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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Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
MATCH INFO
Scotland 59 (Tries: Hastings (2), G Horne (3), Turner, Seymour, Barclay, Kinghorn, McInally; Cons: Hastings 8)
Russia 0
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