Bank employee absconds after stealing car worth Dh193,000 in Dubai

The accused was charged with abuse of his post and embezzlement of property.- Alamy Image

A Syrian man, who worked as a debt collector at a bank, has gone on trial in absentia on the charge of embezzling a car worth Dh193,000.
The car was purchased by a customer as per a mortgage contract with the bank.
The Court of First Instance heard the Syrian had absconded from work at the bank after embezzling the car and keeping it with him for one and half month. He is accused of stealing the car while on the job at the bank in June 2017.
A complaint about the incident was lodged at the Naif police station. The accused was charged with abuse of his post and embezzlement of property.
An Egyptian man, who works in the same section at the bank, said they contacted the Asian car owner after he defaulted on monthly installments. "We contacted him to return the car so the bank could recover its debt by selling it in auction. We found he had left the country and assigned his representative to give the car back to the bank. The representative said he handed over the car to the defendant and sent WhatsApp pictures while it was moved from where it was abandoned."
The Egyptian colleague contacted the defendant's brother and was told the accused had gone on annual leave. "The brother led us to where the accused had parked the car in Ajman and was recovered by the bank."
A legal consultant at the bank said when the defendant was asked about the customer's car he denied having received it. "However, he admitted later he collected the car. He left the country the next day after the bank investigation section contacted him to deposit his passport."
Public prosecution records show the defendant kept the car for one month and a half with him and instead of returning it to the bank before he fled the UAE.
mary@khaleejtimes.com  

• Dubai