DUBAI // A Ministry of Environment employee has denied asking for a monthly Dh6,000 bribe to favour import applications from an agriculture and veterinary medicine company.
The Dubai Criminal Court heard on Thursday that Egyptian M?A, 59, asked the sales manager of the company to pay him the money each month, in addition to other benefits, in return for helping with procedures and applications at the ministry.
The company's sales manager, A?G, 44, who is also Egyptian, testified that the defendant was one of the employees he met when visiting the ministry to obtain licences for importing pesticides and medicinal chemicals from Europe.
"I met him about two and a half years ago when I registered the names of materials my company wanted to import and he was the one to approve or decline any application for importing materials submitted by any company," he said.
The sales manager said that on September 11 last year, the ministry employee called him and asked to meet.
"When we did, he told me he was looking for a part-time job next to his one with the ministry, then told me that he can work with us as a consultant and help us with the procedures at the ministry for a Dh6,000 salary but on the condition that no one knows about it," A?G told the court.
He said the defendant told him he would ignore applications submitted by other, competing companies and favour his company.
A?G reported his compatriot to police the following day. Officers told A?G to play along with M?A's ploy and gave the sales manager a bugged mobile phone to record their conversations.
During one discussion, the defendant was offered Dh5,000 a month but he refused and demanded Dh8,000, as well as an annual airline ticket, an bonus each year and the opportunity to take a loan from the company. He eventually agreed to Dh6,000.
The ministry employee was arrested on September 24 last year as he was getting out of A?G's car after receiving his first alleged bribe.
The next hearing was set for February 13.
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Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
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Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
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It brought together 25 state-owned and independent companies specialising in weapons systems, cyber protection and electronic warfare.
Edge has an annual revenue of $5 billion and employs more than 12,000 people.
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Australia: Steve Smith (captain), David Warner, Ashton Agar, Hilton Cartwright, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Matthew Wade, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Renshaw, Mitchell Swepson and Jackson Bird.
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Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
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“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
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“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
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In Dubai:
Dh200 for littering or spitting in the Dubai Metro
Dh500 for throwing cigarette butts or chewing gum on the floor, or littering from a vehicle.
Dh1,000 for littering on a beach, spitting in public places, throwing a cigarette butt from a vehicle
In Sharjah and other emirates
Dh500 for littering - including cigarette butts and chewing gum - in public places and beaches in Sharjah
Dh2,000 for littering in Sharjah deserts
Dh500 for littering from a vehicle in Ras Al Khaimah
Dh1,000 for littering from a car in Abu Dhabi
Dh1,000 to Dh100,000 for dumping waste in residential or public areas in Al Ain
Dh10,000 for littering at Ajman's beaches
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Buyers should try to pay as much in cash as possible for a property, limiting the mortgage value to as little as they can afford. This means they not only pay less in interest but their monthly costs are also reduced. Ideally, the monthly mortgage payment should not exceed 20 per cent of the purchaser’s total household income, says Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching.
“If it’s a rental property, plan for the property to have periods when it does not have a tenant. Ensure you have enough cash set aside to pay the mortgage and other costs during these periods, ideally at least six months,” she says.
Also, shop around for the best mortgage interest rate. Understand the terms and conditions, especially what happens after any introductory periods, Ms Glynn adds.
Using a good mortgage broker is worth the investment to obtain the best rate available for a buyer’s needs and circumstances. A good mortgage broker will help the buyer understand the terms and conditions of the mortgage and make the purchasing process efficient and easier.
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TKO round 1
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UAE squad
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