‘Dh350,000 stolen through fake receipts’

DUBAI // A manager of an immigration services company stole more than Dh350,000 from clients, Dubai Criminal Court heard.

The court was told the manager, 42, from the Dominican Republic, stole a receipt book and issued fake receipts to clients.

The owner of the company, a Cypriot, said that on August 16, 2014, he was informed that a 50-page receipt book was missing from his company.

“In February this year, a client came to the company and said she paid US$23,000 (Dh84,410) to the manager and was issued a receipt, which we found out was from the receipt book that went missing in 2014,” said the owner, who reported the loss to the police.

He said that when police arrived and confronted the manager, he confessed and repaid the $23,000, after which the case was closed.

However, two other clients also reported paying the manager for services they did not receive.

An Iraqi man testified that he paid the manager $80,000 to help him and his family obtain passports from the Dominican Republic. A third client said he paid the defendant $20,000 in March last year.

The manager denied the charges in court.

The next hearing will be on August 17.