Manager accused of stealing more than Dh700,000 from cleaning company

Irregularities were discovered after a Chinese businesswoman became a partner in the company in 2019

A Dubai court has granted a retrial to an Emirati man who was convicted of causing his friend’s death in a Shisha fire. AFP

The manager of a cleaning services company has been accused of stealing more than Dh700,000 ($190,579) from his employers, Dubai Criminal Court heard.

Judges were told the incident was discovered after a Chinese businesswoman became a partner in the Dubai-based company in November 2019.

She met the 31-year old defendant, from Eritrea, at the company’s offices in Al Rashidiya, but he refused to work with her.

“He wouldn’t deal with me, claiming he had never met me and didn’t know who I was," the woman told the court.

"Then he tried to take the passports of all employees but I stopped him."

During a meeting with her 36 staff members, the woman discovered they were paid salaries different to those stated in their contracts.

After raising the issue with the employees, they said they had not seen or signed the contracts, the court heard.

It was also discovered that in 2018 the defendant opened a cleaning services company of his own.

“I started revising the company’s documents and records and discovered that the company income was not being deposited in its account,” the businesswoman said.

“He was sending employees from our company to do work for his company without their knowledge."

An internal investigation revealed the defendant’s contract was forged to make his salary Dh20,000 instead of an agreed amount of Dh1,500.

The woman's Saudi partner  flew to the UAE when he learned about the incident and discovered several fines against the business because of the defendant's violations.

“I bought the company in 2016 and promoted the defendant from a cleaner to a manager,” he said.

“I handed him the electronic signature of the facility and a power of attorney in order to run it in my absence.”

Investigations also revealed that an Emirati employee at a typing centre, 41, helped the defendant forge his work contract and the contracts of 17 company employees, the court heard.

Another man, also from Eritrea – who remains at large – worked with the defendant at the company and helped with the scam, it is claimed.

In court, all three were charged with forgery. The two who were present denied the charges against them.

The manager was additionally charged with illegally obtaining money and electronics, including an iPad, iPhone, and Samsung mobile phones, worth Dh764,523.

The next hearing is scheduled on February 11.

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