DUBAI // A manager of a petroleum company was sentenced to six months in prison for a bounced cheque he said he wrote to pay rent for a factory that was never delivered.
The American PM, 55, was convicted of issuing a bad cheque worth Dh600,000. He was arrested and has been in custody since February 17.
PM denied the charged. He said he wrote the cheque to AA, a 27-year-old Emirati who owns the petroleum factory in Dubai, to rent it from him. But AA never delivered, and later filed a report against him over the cheque, PM said.
“You honour, this is a false accusation. Why should I pay him any money when he did not rent out the factory to me? I didn't receive any factory in return for my money,” he told the court.
They cheque was originally for a one-year contract and was to be paid in four installments of Dh150,000. AA said he conditioned the cheque to submit it to the bank in case PM failed to pay any installment, records show.
According to court records, the defendant and the claimant met on July 3 to settle the business agreement regarding the factory because AA had not provided a signed rental contract between the two and did not deliver the factory.
Records show that on that day, they agreed in front of witnesses to break the agreement and for AA to return the cheque.
AA did not return the cheque and filed the report against PM.
salam@thenational.ae
