The Emirati owner of a car rental firm forged documents to indicate he had paid off loans on seven cars including a Ferrari, a court heard yesterday.

NA, 27, took the papers – which were supposedly issued by Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB) – and presented them to the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) to obtain ownership certificates even though the cars were still mortgaged to the bank, it was alleged.

He then sold two of the cars, Dubai Criminal Court was told. The defendant was said to have obtained help from two DIB employees, AE, a 23-year-old Emirati, and SH, 34, from Pakistan, who gave him the mortgage certificates.

NA is charged with forging and using the documents and selling one of the cars while it was still mortgaged. The bank employees are accused of complicity. The case came to light when Dubai Police's transport crime section received information that M Car Rental had sold a Ferrari that was mortgaged to DIB. Policeman Khalid Shihab Murad was assigned to investigate the case.

He went to the RTA to check the documents for the car. The papers showed that the vehicle was not mortgaged and had been involved in an accident. The registration had been cancelled and the insurance firm had taken possession of the vehicle and compensated the car rental firm.

Murad then went to DIB and discovered that the Ferrari was mortgaged and monthly repayments were being made.

NA was questioned and confessed that he agreed with the bank employees to obtain the certificates, which he took to the RTA. AE admitted issuing the mortgage certificates because NA was a friend and introduced NA to SH as well. The case was adjourned until November 11.

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