Man jailed in Dubai over Dh50,000 red sandalwood bribe walks free

DUBAI // A man who offered Dh50,000 to a customs inspector to allow a container with banned red sandalwood into the country has had his three-year sentence overturned by Dubai Court of Appeal.

Pakistani M H, 32, was jailed for being one of two people involved in offering the bribe to inspector A A in exchange for clearing the container at Jebel Ali Port in June last year. He was convicted by Dubai Criminal Court last October and sentenced to three years then deportation.

The appeal court then reduced the jail term to six months and cancelled the deportation order, though no reason for this verdict was available.

Prosecutors said the Pakistani conspired with compatriot J J, 34, to get the container released, knowing fully that red sandalwood is banned.

J J was jointly charged with offering a bribe but did not enter a plea and was sentenced to three years, to be followed by deportation. She did not appeal her sentence and will serve out the term.

J J met the inspector before the incident and exchanged mobile numbers. She then contacted him at a later stage and requested his help to release the container for Dh10,000.

The Pakistani woman told the inspector that there were eight other containers, some of which were en-route from her home country, that she wanted help in clearing, prosecutors said.

The inspector reported the incident to his boss and then a sting was set up with police after the woman offered Dh50,000 for help with all the containers.

She handed over a cheque for the amount in a car park in Al Twar, near Dubai airport, after being given it from M H, who was sitting in a car. Both were then arrested.

The reason for the verdict being overturned was not made available.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) agreement bans importing red sandalwood.