Indian businessman jailed for bribing inspector in UAE

An Indian businessman has been jailed for six months for offering bribe to a labour ministry inspector in the UAE, a media report said.

The Indian national, 35, identified only as V.A., was accused of offering a bribe of 30,000 dirhams (around $8168) to an Emirati inspector to lift the ban on four of his companies last year, Gulf News reported.

The Dubai Court of First Instance Monday sentenced the defendant to a six-month jail term after he had pleaded not guilty to the crime.

The man was also fined 30,000 dirhams and will be deported after serving his jail term.

Police arrested the defendant in a sting operation after the inspector accepted 9,000 dirhams as part of the bribe from V.A.

The money will be confiscated, according to the ruling.

The labour inspector staged a mock deal with the defendant in September last year when the man offered to pay 20,000 dirhams to get the ban lifted on his companies.

"I pretended to the businessman that he had to increase the amount. Then I asked him to send me the name of the banned companies via SMS," the report quoted the inspector as saying.

After obtaining permission, police raided the location where V.A. offered the bribe to the inspector in Al Qusais.

The defendant was cited admitting before prosecutors that he offered bribe to the inspector to lift the four bans, the report stated.