Social media obsession lands two in Dubai jail, with fine and deportation

Mohamed Yaseen, Staff Reporter

The Criminal Court in Dubai sentenced a European and an Asian to 6 months in prison to be followed by deportation after serving their sentences over the charge of counterfeiting 50-100 banknotes of Australian dollar to scatter them from a luxury vehicle in the Marina area in Dubai to increase the number of followers on social media. The convicts have been also ordered to pay jointly a fine of Dhs200,000.

The incident dates back to last June, when a building guard reported the police about money scattering from a vehicle driven by a European person.

The witness explained that he had seen a European person scattering money from a luxury vehicle, while another person filming him from another vehicle in a mysterious scene, so he filed a report with the police.

A police officer also testified that a competent security team was able to identify the photographer of the video clip and the person who was scattering the money.

A view of the Dubai Marina.

In interrogation, the photographer stated that he worked for a photography office in a neighboring emirate and that the European person asked to film him in Dubai. The video clip was filmed and sent to the office for editing, but the client did not receive it, because the police arrested him. All the filmed clips sent and stored with office had been cancelled by the authorities, the Court headed.

The European confessed that he had contracted an Asian to print 750 notes similar to 50-100 banknotes of Australian dollar for using them in filming a scene within a an art work, stressing that he did not promote that currency.

He informed the police about the Asian who helped him print the counterfeit money, so he was arrested too. He admitted that he had printed the money at the request of the European, who provided him via WhatsApp with two copies of the currency he wanted to duplicate, noting that all papers bore “for photocopying only” phrase.

In the report of the forensic laboratory, it was stated that the seized currency were “counterfeited” to a degree that ordinary persons could not recognize they are fake money. Accordingly, the Court fined and sentenced them to jail to be followed by deportation.