Dubai court acquits woman of Dhs207,000 fraud involving import of a luxury vehicle from US into UAE

The Court of Misdemeanor in Dubai has acquitted a 57-year-old woman from the Gulf region of fraud and misappropriation charges concerning Dhs207,000 in a case related to importing a luxury vehicle from the United States.

The court determined that there was insufficient evidence to prove criminal intent on her part. Furthermore, there was no evidence of direct interaction between her and the victim or involvement in the methods that led him to hand over his money to the other defendants.

The incident began when the victim noticed Instagram advertisements promoting the import of luxury vehicles from the United States to the UAE at prices below the market rate.

He subsequently contacted the company through WhatsApp, visited their office, and chose a 2022 Land Rover Defender for Dhs207,000, which included customs and clearance fees for import and delivery.

Following the court's decision, it was determined that the victim initially paid a deposit of Dhs7,000 into the company's bank account and later transferred an additional Dhs200,000.

He entered into a contract for importing a vehicle and was subsequently informed that the car was at a Dubai port awaiting delivery, yet it never arrived. The official documents revealed that the company did not have ownership of the vehicle he contracted to purchase.

Further investigations and documentation verified that the vehicle in question was shipped from the United States to the UAE by another individual, and the company did not hold ownership as per the available evidence.

This evidence included customs declarations, documents from the auction platform, transfer receipts, the import contract, the vehicle's registration, and a forensic report. The investigations also identified that the company's actual manager was in charge of its operations, orchestrating the crime with employees, while the Gulf woman served merely as a nominal manager. This was corroborated by her issuance of a license to the actual manager, her son-in-law.