A Dubai court has ordered two former sales employees of a gold trading company to jointly reimburse AED 1,426,273 — plus five percent interest accruing from the date the judgment was finalised — after they were found to have misappropriated proceeds from the sale of 13,500 grammes of gold entrusted to them by their employer.
The civil ruling followed a criminal conviction handed down by the Dubai Criminal Court, which sentenced both employees to one year in prison for the offences committed between September 2022 and July 2023. The Court of Appeal subsequently upheld that sentence, according to Gulf Today.
The company had originally sought AED 1,569,092 in damages, arguing that the pair had received 13,500 grammes of 24-carat gold — valued at AED 1,976,273 — with instructions to sell the material and remit the proceeds. Instead, the funds were pocketed.
Civil court documents confirmed that the embezzled sum aligned with the figure established during criminal proceedings, forming the basis for the AED 1,426,273 award. The judgment also requires the defendants to cover fees, expenses, and legal costs, with all remaining claims dismissed.
Among the rejected claims was an allegation that the defendants had bought 527.510 grammes of 22-carat gold from a jewellery firm on credit, worth AED 142,819, and recorded the purchase under the company’s name without authorisation. The court found the documentation insufficient to prove either that the transaction had been registered to the company or that the company had borne the cost.
During civil proceedings, one of the defendants — appearing while in custody — denied any personal culpability, pointing to the other as solely responsible. The court rejected that position, ruling that the elements of liability, damage, and causation had each been established against both parties, and ordering them to repay the proven amount jointly.
