Sacked manager threatened to have boss killed by 'Hezbollah militants', Dubai court hears

The marketing manager was dismissed over a series of financial fraud allegations

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

A man  told his boss that he would have him killed, with the help of Hezbollah militia contacts in Lebanon, Dubai Criminal Court heard.

A judge was told the accused, 45, from Lebanon, was dismissed in 2018 from a company in Dubai for alleged financial fraud and over claims he helped people wanted by the police to flee the UAE.

“He worked as a marketing manager but his services were terminated after I learnt of a police report against him in Abu Dhabi,” said the accused's work supervisor, 40, also from Lebanon.

“The police report accused him of assisting some people to escape to Oman from the UAE to evade prosecution for financial crimes.”

The supervisor said he also discovered that the man had been stealing from the company.

“Nine of our clients came to the office and asked about the money they gave to the accused for services that were never delivered,” he said.

When the supervisor asked him to return the clients' money, the accused refused, and instead threatened to kill him, the court heard.

“My Emirati sponsor told me to stay away from the man. He was worried that the man’s contacts in Lebanon could harm me,” the supervisor told the court.

In his testimony, the Emirati sponsor, 65, said he warned the supervisor about the seriousness of the accused's threats.

“The [accused] told me he had ties with Hezbollah and the Amal Movement and could get his supervisor assassinated in Lebanon,” the sponsor said.

The court has not yet been told of any proven connection between the suspect and the groups mentioned.

It was also not yet told whether the suspect will face trial, or has been tried, for fraud or the other allegations mentioned.

The suspect was originally charged with issuing threats.

The next hearing is on April 12.

Hezbollah is an Iran-backed political party and militant group based in Lebanon. The Amal Movement is allied to the group.

The US and countries in the EU and GCC, including UAE, are among those to list Hezbollah as a terrorist group.