The Dubai Misdemeanors Court has acquitted an Indian employee accused of embezzling Dh92,670 from his employer, ruling that prosecutors failed to provide sufficient evidence to support the allegations.
The defendant, who served as an operations manager, was accused of diverting payments from clients into his personal account between 2018 and 2023. However, court records confirmed that he was not authorized to collect payments directly from clients.
Prosecutors claimed that the employee accepted funds for services such as issuing residency permits but failed to remit the money to the company. The firm also filed a civil claim seeking Dh51,000 in damages.
In its verdict, the court said the prosecution’s case relied on inconsistent testimonies, an unverified audit report, and a disputed written confession, none of which met the standard of proof required in criminal cases.
“The evidence gives rise to doubt and suspicion. Where such doubt exists, the law requires the court to rule in favor of the accused,” the judgment stated.
The court also excluded the alleged confession after the General Department of Criminal Evidence found the signature inconclusive due to missing original documents.
The defendant denied all accusations, saying he was not authorized to handle cash and that the charges were retaliatory, filed after he lodged a labor complaint over unpaid wages. His lawyer, Mohammed Abdullah Al Redha, argued that the embezzlement charge was impossible, noting that the alleged amount would require over a thousand transactions.
After reviewing the evidence, the court ruled that prosecutors failed to prove that the employee was entrusted with company funds or misused them for personal gain.
The court dismissed both the criminal and civil cases and ordered the company to shoulder all legal costs. A subsequent order lifted the travel ban imposed on the employee and canceled all enforcement measures related to the case.
