DUBAI // A woman who embezzled almost Dh250,000 from the Kuwaiti royal owner of a gallery that she worked at has been sentenced to two years in jail by Dubai Criminal Court.
Gallery owner L A, 36, told the court: “I am wealthy and I don’t care about the money but I was hurt because she betrayed me and stabbed me in the back.”
Prosecutors charged the Indian defendant G S, 38, with forgery of official and non-official documents, use of the forged documents and embezzlement of Dh247,204 from L A after she forged receipts for expenses.
Prosecutors said the embezzlement happened between February 2012 and July 2013 but it was only discovered after the defendant resigned in 2013.
G S denied all charges in court last October.
The gallery owner said the defendant worked for her as a consultant in London for four years before her gallery opened in Dubai.
After this, G S was the gallery’s only employee, with full powers to manage the gallery and its bank account.
“She was keeping me posted about the work but I was surprised to see that the gallery was running at a loss,” said L A.
“So I knew she was presenting fake receipts for fake expenses, which then turned out to be the money she embezzled.”
An audit revealed the embezzlement and forgeries, said L A.
The companies whose names were used in receipts submitted by the defendant were contacted and they denied issuing them.
“One bill was from the Dubai Civil Defence. I was hurt, because I fully trusted her and took care of her from the very beginning,” said L A.
French sales manager P P, 41, who latterly worked at the gallery, testified that he hired a company to carry out maintenance work on surveillance cameras in the gallery.
“I arranged it with a maintenance company that G S had done business with before,” he said.
“When they came to the gallery, they spoke about the bill that was issued before but they said the amount in the bill was not correct and was for more than they charged.”
PP then informed his employer, who asked him to recheck all the receipts.
Prosecutors said G S forged almost 20 receipts.
The defendant will be deported after completing her jail term.
salamir@thenational.ae
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From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
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