Latest news with #DubaiCitizenshipandResidencyCourt
Gulf Insider
a day ago
- Business
- Gulf Insider
Dubai Convicts 21 In $6.9m Phantom Visa Fraud Case
The Dubai Citizenship and Residency Court has issued a landmark conviction against 21 individuals of various nationalities, sentencing them in one of the emirate's largest visa fraud cases. The defendants were fined a combined total of AED25.21m ($6.86m) for orchestrating a wide-ranging scheme that involved issuing hundreds of fraudulent residency visas through non-existent companies. The case was prosecuted by the Dubai Citizenship and Residency Prosecution following an investigation prompted by the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai. Authorities uncovered a network of phantom companies set up solely to obtain residence visas under false pretences. These companies were later shut down without legalising the employment status of recruited workers, leaving many vulnerable to exploitation. According to Dr. Ali Humaid bin Khatem, Senior Advocate General and Head of the Citizenship and Residency Prosecution, the investigation uncovered 33 shell entities operating with forged business licences and fictitious addresses. These entities were found to have been used to illegally secure and misuse a total of 385 residency visas. Dr. Bin Khatem said: 'The Public Prosecution will continue to work closely with its partners to address any violations of laws governing the entry and residence of foreigners as well as labour regulations in order to preserve the stability of society and the integrity of the labour market'. The defendants were tried before the Dubai Citizenship and Residency Court, which convicted all 21 and imposed heavy financial penalties.
Gulf Today
a day ago
- Business
- Gulf Today
Dubai convicts 21 people in major visa fraud case, issues Dhs 25.2 million fine
The Dubai Citizenship and Residency Prosecution has secured from the Dubai Citizenship and Residency Court a conviction and a fine totalling Dhs 25.210 million against 21 defendants of various nationalities involved in visa fraud. The individuals were found guilty in one of the largest cases pertaining to the illegal use of residence visas to exploit people and operating phantom companies that they would abruptly close without regularising the status of the recruited workers. Counsellor Dr. Ali Humaid bin Khatem, Senior Advocate General and Head of the Citizenship and Residency Prosecution, stated that the Public Prosecution took up the investigation after the suspects and dubious companies were flagged by the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai. The arrests followed extensive monitoring, follow-ups, and inspections of the companies' purported offices, which were subsequently found to be non-existent and established merely for the purpose of obtaining residence visas in a clandestine manner. Extensive investigation Following their arrest, the defendants were referred to the Citizenship and Residency Prosecution, which conducted an extensive investigation and secured all the necessary evidence required. The case subsequently came up for trial in the Dubai Citizenship and Residency Court, which issued a verdict convicting the 21 accused. Dr. Bin Khatem said that the investigation covered 33 commercial establishments, which served as decoys for obtaining and misusing 385 residency visas. It was also found that most of the business licences under which the illegal establishments operated had been secured by furnishing fictitious addresses, pointing to a deliberate intent to undermine and exploit residency and labour regulations for unlawful gain. 'The Public Prosecution will continue to work closely with its partners to address any violations of laws governing the entry and residence of foreigners as well as labour regulations in order to preserve the stability of society and the integrity of the labour market,' Dr. Bin Khatem added.
