A Dubai court has sentenced Nigerian businessman Abdulrahman Bashar, 48, to one year in prison for issuing fraudulent checks worth 126.45 million dirhams through Emirates Islamic Bank. The ruling, delivered on January 30, 2025, came after Bashar failed to appear for his trial.
According to Premium Times, Bashar was charged by the UAE’s public prosecution for deliberately issuing seven checks with mismatched signatures, effectively preventing them from being cashed. The case was brought forward by CI Energy Company, with their agent Jamal Awad Nasser Hussein providing key testimony. The court, presided over by Judge Hussein Hamdi, based its decision on evidence including check copies, account statements, and witness testimony.
This isn’t Bashar’s first brush with the law. In February 2020, he served a 10-month sentence in the United Kingdom following a ruling by Justice Butcher of the England and Wales High Court for violating court orders in a lawsuit filed by Sahara Energy Resources.
During the Dubai proceedings, the court emphasized that “the crime of issuing a cheque is realized merely by giving the cheque to the beneficiary knowing that there is no balance available for withdrawal.” The checks were returned unpaid by Emirates Islamic Bank due to signature discrepancies, leading to Bashar’s conviction.
Madukwe B. Nwabuisi is an accomplished journalist renown for his fearless reporting style and extensive expertise in the field. He is an investigative journalist, who has established himself as a kamikaze reporter.
