Dubai civil defence officer taken to court by fireman over 'indecent' handshake

A Dubai civil defence officer has been accused of committing a lewd gesture in public by folding his middle finger while shaking hands with a junior ranking colleague and belittling him in front of others. The 39-year-old Emirati officer was said to have folded down his middle finger and wiggled it from side to side while shaking hands with his 30-year-old countryman, a corporal fireman, and using bad language that made him feel he was being looked down on.

Prosecution records said the incident happened in 2012 at one of the Dubai Civil Defence (DCD) branches which the officer then directed. Prosecutors accused the suspect of using foul language while addressing the corporal, threatening him and indecently gesturing in public. The defendant pleaded not guilty when he defended himself before the Dubai Misdemeanour Court. The fireman testified that he had known the suspect for more than eight years and he used to be his commander at the DCD branch where they worked.



“Three years ago, a new director was appointed the branch’s director and the suspect was his deputy. I was on friendly terms with both men. Last year the suspect started mocking and belittling me in front of my partners. When our relations started to worsen, the new director advised the officer and tried to patch things up between us. The defendant apologised to me… but deep inside he did not seem satisfied or happy about it. Then he started shaking hands with me in an indecent way. Several times, he reverted his middle finger while shaking my hand and moved his finger while our palms were in contact."

Meanwhile the officer countered the fireman’s allegations saying the latter complained because he had transferred him to another branch. “In my capacity as the branch’s director, I posted the claimant to another DCD branch because of his poor performance. I was required to develop the branch’s performance as we had a bad ranking compared to other branches… and since I moved him and other staff, our performance improved. His colleagues washed his brain and let him lodge this untrue complaint. He did so out of malice. I did not do anything bad to him,” said the defendant. The court heard prosecution witnesses during the hearing. The suspect’s lawyer will present his argument when the court reconvenes on December 10.