Businessman accused of passport and fake diamond scam

When arrested by police, the defendant was in possession of counterfeit Canadian and Congolese passports, as well a fake United Nations travel document.

DUBAI // A businessman has appeared at the criminal court charged with forging passports and selling fake diamonds.

The defendant, E H, a 40-year-old from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, denied creating counterfeit passports from his home country, Canada, a United Nations travel document. He also denied forging exit stamps on the passports and making other forged documents.

“After police arrested me, they searched my car without permission and seized the passports which are not mine,” said E H.

He was also accused of conning a man out of Dh770,000 in a counterfeit diamond scam.

The victim, D K, said E H was one of three men he met last July who said they could sell him diamonds at discount prices.

They showed him a sample and they agreed on a price. After they delivered him the diamonds in a sealed package, D K discovered that the men had replaced the diamonds with glass.

Emirati policeman K K, 33 said that after the complaint was filed by the victim, E H was the only man they could identify out of the three.

Police lured EH into a parking spot at a hotel, where he showed up in a brown Hyundai and was apprehended.

The police found three passports and a number of mobile phones in the car.

When interrogated, EH confessed that he was a part group who had conned the victim. However, he denied this in court.

Y A, 30 a policeman, testified that E H had denied involvement in the crimes, stating that he didn’t receive any money.

The next hearing will be on March 13 to hear the testimony of witnesses.