12 May 2014
Female-only spa owner jailed for attempting to bribe inspector to overlook men's treatments
BY Helen Andrews
A businesswoman has been jailed for six months for offering a bribe to an inspector because she didn’t want him to report she was still offering massages to men at her women-only spa in the Persian Gulf – despite having previously received a ban due to the practice.
On 5 May the 46-year old Chinese businesswoman, referred to as J.W, was fined AED2,000 (US$545, £322) by the Dubai Court of First Instance and will be deported after serving her prison sentence.
On 18 December J.W offered the Emirati inspector the same sum to give a positive report about her spa to get the ban lifted, with the verdict reflecting the charges.
An inspector had previously imposed a ban on the women-only spa because it was offering massages for men – contravening labour laws.
A European man entered the spa and asked for a massage during the spa’s follow-up inspection and although he was asked to leave, the owner admitted she was still allowing men to occasionally have massages.
“When I informed her that I would report what I saw, she offered me AED2,000 to write a positive report,” the inspector told prosecutors.
According to reports, the Emirati inspector pretended to agree to accept the bribe and provided the woman with his number. Later he accepted the bribe, according to prosecution records, as part of a sting operation – resulting in the woman's arrest and eventual prosecution.
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