3 years in jail and Dh215m fine for flawed security cards in UAE

ABU DHABI // A company owner who produced flawed security access cards was jailed for three years yesterday and ordered to pay Dh215 million.

S M, an Emirati, supplied a million cards to the Critical National Infrastructure Authority (CNIA), but they did not work and were easy to counterfeit.

The authority said the mistake cost it Dh107,702,000.

The Emirati had been contracted to supply the cards through a German company, but was later found to have partnered with a Turkish organisation who produced the cards at a cut price.

The Criminal Court previously sentenced him in absentia to three years in prison, ordered him to repay the CNIA Dh107.7m and pay the same amount as a fine.

The Emirati appealed the verdict and was granted a retrial at the same court – but it upheld the first verdict.

hdajani@thenational.ae