Airline employee in Dubai embezzles Dh162,000 worth of tickets

Dubai: A Dubai employee in an airline has been accused of embezzling Dh162,155 from his company by forging 36 receipts of airline tickets.

The Dubai Court of First Instance on Wednesday heard that the 30-year-old Syrian defendant, who works as salesman, charged exorbitant rates for the tickets from customers, put the actual value of the ticket in the airline system and pocketed the difference.

From September 2018, the defendant embezzled Dh162,155 from the company until he was discovered in September 2019.

An official in the airline testified that the defendant used to get customers calls to buy tickets and book for them before depositing the money in the company’s account.

“We discovered that he was taking the difference for his benefit. For example, he sold a ticket for Dh7,000 and in the system put Dh5,000 and embezzled the difference,” the Lebanese official said in official records.

The defendant used to reduce the ticket’s airport tax sometimes and embezzled the money. “He used to upgrade the ticket and take the money for his benefit too.”

The defendant admitted the crime, claiming he was in need for money. He promised the airline to return the money but he failed.

Dubai Public Prosecution charged the defendant with embezzlement, forge e-documents and using them.

The next hearing will be on September 23.