A manager of a shipping company denied the charges of soliciting and collecting Dh214,000 in bribes on different occasions from a man who is at large.
He allegedly took the bribes in order to keep the company’s business ongoing with the other party, which included shipment of goods and clearance procedures at customs departments.
The 46-year-old Bangladeshi manager is accused of receiving the money, which was allegedly deposited by the other party, an Indian, in his bank account despite receiving explicit orders from his shipping company administration to stop dealing and offering their services to the other company, where the accused at large worked.
According to prosecution records, the runaway accused worked at a company, whose debt to the defendant’s workplace had reached Dh8.6 million.
The manager on trial was ordered to stop all dealings with the indebted company, but he did not and is believed to have collected bribes for his favours until the other party’s debts exceeded Dh20.5 million.
The Indian is standing trial in absentia on the charge of aiding and abetting the bribery crime.
An Indian PRO at the same company as the manager said that on May 1, 2014, an email was sent from the financial affairs manager to the defendant, giving him clear instructions to stop all dealings between the two companies, as the dues from the other company had reached Dh8.6 million.
“The order was that all dealings should stop until dues were paid up. He replied by saying that someone from the other company would pay Dh1.8 million the following week, and that he could not stop doing business with the other company for fear the dues would be lost,” the PRO testified during the public prosecution investigation.
So the manager kept doing business with the other company and offering them services, until the other party’s dues exceeded Dh20 million.
The trial has been adjourned to November 10. Source: Khaleej Times
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