Typing centre staff charged with embezzling Dh1.4 million

Two employees of a typing centre allegedly embezzled Dh1.4 million by tampering with the electronic system while processing about 3,160 transactions of health cards and medical fitness tests, a court heard. The two Indians — a typist and a customer service employee — worked at a typing centre at the Preventive Medicine Department at a hospital in Al Muraqabbat.

The typist, 23, identified as M.A., discovered the glitch when processing transactions and entering data electronically. M.A. observed that any disconnection of power in the ‘electronic dirham transaction computer’ before the transaction’s fees payment were put on record, indicated that the fee had been paid and recorded. M.A. and his accomplice, A.A., 24, took advantage of the glitch to embezzle a part of the revenues.

Between June and August 27 last year, they embezzled Dh1.4 million due to the Finance Ministry on 3,160 applications related to the eDirham system. They reportedly split the embezzled revenues.

They faced charges of embezzlement of public funds and forgery in the Court of First Instance.

M.A. admitted in the investigation that he printed out the payment receipts which falsely indicated that the fees were paid by the customers and the revenues went to the relevant authority.

The Director of the Revenue Development Department at the Ministry of Finance said they found out about the embezzlement when they received a letter from the Ministry of Health inquiring about a customer’s transaction. “That customer had his application rejected by a hospital in Al Baraha because he did not have a payment receipt.”

mary@khaleejtimes.com