DUBAI // A British resident of Dubai has appeared in court after his bank account was used to receive Dh2.8 million that was scammed from an Irish businessman.
M F, 36, faced charges of illegally possessing money that M T, 66, had transferred to him under the understanding he was buying electricity generators to be shipped to Iraq.
The Court of Misdemeanours heard that in 2011, M T met with a British man, C J, on the Isle of Mann off the coast of the UK.
They signed a deal to ship the generators to Iraq after C J promised him a 100 per cent return on his investment.
M T then made five money transfers totalling Dh2.8 million to M F’s bank account in Dubai.
Months later, M T discovered that the shipment of generators did not exist and that he had been conned.
“I reported [M F and C J] to the British police and they advised me to file a report in Dubai,” said M T. “I met with C J five times, which all happened on the island.”
He said that he trusted C J because he was introduced to him by his own accountant. “I was told that I will start receiving profits 90 days after my last transfer date,” he said.
“I have later found out that many people from my country have fallen victim to C J.”
During interrogation, M F claimed he was unaware that C J’s activities were illegal.
“I was assigned by C J to provide my account number to a man because C J was not a resident of Dubai and had no bank account here,” said the defendant, adding that he did not take any of the money transferred to him.
“C J offered me 1 percent of the total amount transferred in return for using my account... and he claimed that he was only seeking my help because he did not have a bank account in Dubai,” said the defendant.
M F said that after receiving the money he was directed by C J to transfer the money to a number of other countries.
The court also heard that C J was still at large.
The next hearing will be on May 6.
salamir@thenational.ae
