Photo for illustrative purposes only. ARCHIVE

The Dubai Criminal Court gave an Indian man a one-month jail sentence for refusing to return Dh570,000 that had been mistakenly deposited into his account. After serving his term, he will be deported and required to pay the same amount in fines. Although the transaction occurred in October of last year, the decision was just recently made. The individual claimed he did not know where the money came from but had received a transfer notification. He spent Dh52,000 to pay his rent and other bills without checking with the bank to establish who had sent the money into his account. "I was surprised when Dh570,000 was deposited in my bank account. I paid for my rent and expenses," the accused said in court. "A company asked me to return the money, but I refused because I was unsure if the money belonged to them. They asked me several times." A medical trading firm transferred the funds. The corporation asked the bank to refund the funds, but the accused refused even though they knew they had been transmitted in error. The company then reported the incident to the Al Raffa police station and received an order to present to the bank to get the money. The bank froze the man's account, but no money was retrieved. The Dubai Public Prosecution accused him of obtaining the funds illegally. The man confessed to the accusation and requested time to resolve the dispute, but his request was denied. He has appealed against the verdict, and a hearing is expected next month. BKM/ Expat Media
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