Policeman who altered sick notes so he could go on holiday to Thailand is jailed

Emirati bought sick notes for Dh200 each and then filled in his name and dates so he could go abroad, Dubai court hears.

DUBAI // A policeman was sentenced to three months in jail on Monday for buying sick leave notes for Dh200 each and then altering them and using the time off to go on holiday to Thailand.

The 30-year-old Emirati was convicted of forgery and use of forged documents.

He was investigated by colleagues after missing work on several occasions and submitting a number of suspicious sick leave notes to cover for his absences.

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“When we went through the sick leaves and checked the man’s airport entries and exits, we found that during the dates of one of his sick leaves, he had left Dubai for Thailand,” said an Emirati policeman.

From June 5 to 10 of the year in question, the defendant was in Thailand when he had called in sick. Between April 30 and May 9 the same year, he was also out of the country during a time he was meant to be off sick.

“We collected his sick leaves and had them checked then discovered that most of them were fake. We contacted him but his mobile was switched off therefore we had him arrested,” added the police officer, adding that the defendant admitted that he had been buying sick leave notes signed and stamped but without a name and without dates so he could fill them in when he needed them.

The court was told that all the alterations on the sick leave notes were in Arabic despite it being common for most doctors to use English.