A criminal court has sentenced an expatriate to five years in jail for selling 30 cars that belonged to a rent-a-car company.

The man was actually punished for forging car ownership documents and the signature of the owner of the company.

It so happened that the convict ran a rent-a-car company as manager on monthly emoluments of QR10,000 and was appointed by the owner. The firm had 31 cars.

The car rental business didn’t do well so the owner thought of giving it away to someone who would run it successfully and pay him a monthly lump sum.

The convict jumped on the opportunity and agreed to take the business from the owner, promising that he would pay him QR86,000 per month, according to Al Sharq. 

He paid the amount for three months and then stopped.

When the owner got back to him and enquire about the payment, he told him that he needed some luxury cars if the company was to do good business and make profits. 

The owner agreed and bought some luxury cars and gave them away to him. The monthly payment was raised to QR99,000.

The convict paid the sum once and stopped. The owner, worried as he was, got back to him again. The convict told him that he wanted to cancel the contract and return the cars.

Weeks passed but the owner didn’t get his cars back. Suspecting foul play, he went to the Traffic Department to enquire about his cars.

Some of the cars were in his name while others were registered in the name of his family members.

The owner got the shock of his life when he was told by authorities that 30 of his cars had been sold out. He rushed to the Industrial Area and filed a police complaint.

The manager was arrested and he admitted during interrogation that he sold off 30 cars since the company made no money and he paid the owner several monthly installments.

He told investigators that even while he was the manager he had the permission of the owner to copy his signature on documents.

“The owner had also given me the office seal which I was using on documents,” the convict told police.

The Public Prosecution charged him with forging car ownership documents with the help of an “unknown” accomplice and forging the signature of the company’s owner and the court sentenced him to five years in jail.

It also ruled that the case be transferred to the civil court for recovery of dues.

Source: The Peninsula