An office manager stole millions of dirhams from a businessman after setting up an internet bank account in his name, the Dubai Criminal Court heard.
The Jordanian man, 46, allegedly teamed up with an Indian banker, 39, to forge several documents and the businessman’s signature to set up the online service and steal his money. The pair allegedly withdrew Dh17.5 million from the man’s account without his knowledge.
The office manager had worked with the businessman for 14 years and had been entrusted with looking after his financial affairs.
The victim said he was not aware the money had been emptied from his account, as the banker was responsible for managing his account.
“His responsibilities included contacting the account holder when any irregularities are discovered but he instead facilitated the fraud and covered it up,” the victim said.
He said the crime, which dates back to December 2015, only came to light when the office manager was investigated for a separate embezzlement offence.
“During the internal investigation, we had all the bank accounts audited and we discovered this case,” he said.
A bank official said the money was illegally transferred to the account of the Jordanian accused in 55 transactions over a period of 20 months.
Both men denied charges of forgery, using forged documents and fraudulently obtaining Dh17.5m during a hearing on Sunday.
The case was adjourned until October 1.
