A former driver for a general trading company has been accused of embezzling a substantial sum of money from the same company over a period of more than two years.
He has been found guilty and has been sentenced to one month in prison followed by deportation. He has also been fined an amount equivalent to that he has embezzled.
Earlier, Dubai public prosecutors charged the 34-year-old Indian national with the crime, which took place from 2017 to December 2019 within the jurisdiction of Al Muraqqabat Police Station.
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The accused who was responsible for delivering goods to clients and collecting payments, is said to have embezzled a total of Dh114,966.
Judges at Dubai Criminal Court were told that while executing his duties as a driver, the man manipulated the accounting records.
He reportedly failed to record the payments collected from clients in the company’s accounting system, instead pocketing the money.
The court was convinced of the man’s guilt based on the evidence presented, including a comprehensive accounting report and testimonies from key witnesses.
“He [the defendant] had been responsible for delivering various products, such as plastic kitchenware, to clients and collecting payments,” said a fellow worker in court records.
The witness said the defendant maintained records in a three-copy ledger but failed to properly document transactions in the company’s accounting system.
According to investigations, the incident came to light only after the defendant took annual leave in early 2020, and a replacement driver found that payments from clients did not match the company’s records.
When confronted, several clients confirmed they had paid the man, producing receipts as proof.
Initially, the defendant admitted to embezzling only Dh52,575, and signed a confession, promising to repay the amount within 90 days.
However, further audits uncovered that the total embezzled sum was higher.