A businessman managed to persuade a judge to reduce his one-year jail term to three months after being found guilty of signing Dh10,000 bounced cheque.
The merchant, a UA E national, was originally given a year's sentence for the offence but he protested against the sentence claiming that his cheque book had been stolen and his signature forged.
The defendant, A.R., was sentenced in his absence after the court heard that he signed a cheque for Dh100,000 almost two years ago. Earlier this week, the Dubai police turned the man over to the Criminal Rulings' Execution Section at the Department to execute the primary ruling of February 10, 2002 when the defendant was sentenced in his absence.
The defendant apparently was not aware of the hearing and said that the signature on the cheque had been forged.
He also said he did not know the plaintiff, a UAE national, and claimed that he had been framed by the very person who had stolen his passport photocopy and cheque book.
The court yesterday reduced the jail term although he could not prove that his signature had been forged and the cheque book stolen.
The court held the defendant liable for not reporting the stolen cheque book to his bank.
The incident happened more than two years ago when a man reported to police that he had struck a business deal with A.R. The plaintiff said the defendant had given him a signed cheque which bounced when he tried to cash it.
Gulf News
