DUBAI // A sales consultant for the Dubai World-owned company Nakheel accepted bribes totalling almost Dh22 million (US$6m), the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance heard yesterday. The defendant, SR, 31, a Canadian, is accused of accepting Dh16.6m in bribes from LS, 60, a Canadian woman working as a partner at Group Seven Properties, a Dubai-based management company. SR is also accused of accepting Dh2.7m from a Bangladeshi businessman, AS, as well as Dh2.5m from a Russian businessman, SM.
AS, SM and two other suspects, BS, a Briton who worked with LS, and SR's Canadian father, RS, are still at large. In court yesterday, SR denied charges relating to embezzling Nakheel and taking bribes between March 25 and September 17 last year. LS also denied a charge of giving a bribe to SR. SR was arrested on March 31 after an investigation by the director of the Government's financial audit department, Mohammed Mustafa Hussein.
Yesterday, the case was adjourned by Judge Fahmy Mounir Fahmy and the trial will reconvene on January 17 with prosecution witness testimony. amustafa@thenational.ae
