A 55-year-old Iranian businessman is on trial in the Court of First Instance accused of opening and running his villa in the Springs area as a gambling den.

According to the public prosecution charge sheet, as many as 71 liquor bottles and 12 beer cans were seized from his place, which he intended to give to others. He has also been charged with possession of liquor to be given to others without a license.

Seven other men - including two Lebanese (an engineer, 40, and a salesman, 30), a Russian (businessman, aged 49), two Iranians (a manager and a businessman, both aged 45), a Danish (salesman, aged 37), a Norwegian (visitor, aged 35), are charged with gambling at the villa and placing bets.

Different amounts ranging from Dh49,500 to Dh150,000 and ?20,000, which the defendants were allegedly to spend on their gambling, were seized from them.   

A Russian salesman, 21, and an Indian clerk, 30, who allegedly helped organize the gambling and distribute the cards on the players for some commissions, were also charged with aiding and abetting gambling.

The raid was made on April 25.

All the ten accused admitted to the charges in the public prosecution investigation and said that the amounts of money seized had been brought to be spent on gambling.

The main accused confessed he was running the game inside his place.

"We had information from a reliable source about the gambling that had been going on in the villa. After obtaining a warrant from the public prosecution, we raided the place. The accused were caught red-handed sitting at the gambling table and playing. There was another small table where different amounts of money were placed," a police lieutenant told the investigating prosecutor. 

Source: Khaleej Times