Originally Posted by Frans Wind

Hi everyone,

I've been in the export business a long time, and corruption isn't a new thing for me. But things happen in real life that even manage to amaze me. So what I'll do? Just in a nutshell type the contents of a telephone call I made with the Dubai Cargo Village a few days ago. The human resources department to be percise.

Hi, I'm calling from Amsterdam, Holland. Can you connect me through to your Human Resources department?

Reply : Sure Sir, but may I ask what it's for?

My answer: It's regarding a possible job you have to offer for a Horticultural Specialist.

His reply : Ooooo.... Wel I'm not to happy about this phone call, but I will see if I can find someone willing to talk to you.

After waiting nearly 23 minutes on an international telephone line, I got him back on the line "Hold on, I'll connect you Sir"

Dubai Cargo Village, Human Resource Department, how can I help you?

Hi, my name is Frans Wind, I'm calling in regard to a possible job vacancy you have in regard to setting up a flower and plant auction in the Dubai Cargo Center?

Sorry Sir, that project doesn't excist....

Well that's strange, I met Mister Ali Al Jallaf in my office when he visited Holland a while back, he told me the auction project was a reality.

Ooooo... You've met our Director?????

Yes, actually faxed and emailed him a few times, but no replies. That's why I'm calling....

Ooooo... Well I have your faxes and emails Mister Wind, there is no need to bother our Director about this subject.

You mean he gave them to you right? It was marked as personal.

Well Mister Wind, let's say it this way, not all faxes and emails intended for our Director actually reach him. I have everything lying on my desk.

Well as you have all the data, and I assume you've spoken to Mister Ali Al Jallaf, can you connect me through to him?

Ooooo... Well Mister Wind, things work differently here in the UAE.

What do you mean? And to whom am I actually talking? A name would be nice.

Ooooo... You can call me Mister Thomas, and there are some financial things we need to talk about first.

What do you mean Thomas?

Well my work here at the Dubai Cargo Village doesn't really pay well, and if you want your file passed on to our Director? Well a payment would speed things up.

(A slightly irritated me) You mean to tell me you want to receive money from me first????

That is correct Mister Wind, to be percise? € 5.000,= will "help" you get this job. I can arrange it that the money is collected from you in Holland.

Well Thomas, I've been active on the Middle East market for a very long time, but to be blocked off from a high profile UAE project in such a way? Well you managed to actually amaze me. But I don't think the hero "Mister Thomas" will tell me his last name right?

You are correct Mister Wind...

And what will you tell Mister Ali when I inform him about this? Which I will do.

Ooooo... Mister Wind, the Human Resource Department is a big Department, and there are hunderds of Indian nationals working here. I don't think anything will happen to me.

So if I don't pay you, or a maffia friend of yours here in Holland the sum of € 5.000,= I can kiss the job goodbye? Is that what you're trying to tell me?

That is correct Mister Wind, so what will you do?

What I'll do Thomas? Tell you to shove your idea somewhere where the sun never shines. God damn you little ****, I've seen a lot of bribery attempts in my life, but yours? Breaks all records.

Well Mister Wind? I wish you the best of luck with our Director, chances are that you'll never accomplish anything. Bribe money is very normal in the UAE, I'm just not shy in collecting it.

Goodbye Mister Thomas...

Goodbye Mister Wind...

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Well after putting down the phone, talking to friends and colleques here in Holland I found out that a lot of people where blocked off in this way. Who ever this Mister Thomas really is? The guy must be earning a small fortune in blocking off companies as well as individuals. Why did I take the trouble to write this?

Well greed has a nasty side effect, people like this "Mister Thomas" will want more and more money. The problem is, that the people standing above him in the chain of Management will (often) take the blame for it. So to anyone outthere thinking of applying for a job at the Dubai Cargo Village? In God's name, be warned okay?

Frans

Originally Posted by Frans Wind

But newspapers and the police require some kind of proof. And that's just it, everyone I talked to, okay emailed with doesn't want there name mentioned.

Originally Posted by Face81

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!! and further more, OMG!!!!!!!!!!!


u SHOULD get intouch with any of the following newspapers and inform them of this IMMEDIATELY:

www.khaleejtimes.com

www.gulfnews.com

www.7days.ae

get in touch with the police also. That will be a good surprise for Mr. Thomas. The Police can easily trace the call and the exact extension that u were connected to:

Dubai Police:
+9714 999
www.dubaipolice.gov.ae

Send an e-mail to Sheikh Mohammed aswell:
www.Sheikhmohammed.com

Dont let this one go........... U can get Ali Al Jallaf's exact contact information by dialling +9714 181 and asking the operator for his telephone number. Tell him/her where he works and u will be given the number.


If I was back in Dubai, I would have personally seen to it that Mr. Thomas was caught and PUNISHED!!!!!!!! Loser!

Please do something about this. Dont let it go.

Originally Posted by Jellybean

Nice one Face, if I can you get k for that. It's nice to know what you can do or what is worth doing in situations like these. Great

Originally Posted by Paul de Ponti

Hi from Trenton, Canada.

I am the general manager of a medium sized horticultural company in Canada and the USA. One of my employee’s gave me the website details with the remark that I for sure would want to read a certain posting on it. So I surfed the site a bit and found Mister Wind’s posting. Although I feel really bad about it, I have to confirm what Mister Wind has written to be the truth.

While listening to Mister Thomas on the phone at first I thought this was some kind of sick joke, but decided to play along with it. Basically the only exception between my experience and that of Mister Wind was that I was expected to pay € 25000. To my amazement a day later a man showed up in my office with the request to kindly collect € 25000 from me, being and I quote his own words “The down payment for the special services and help of our mutual friend Mister Thomas.�

Well Mister Wind, at least I hade the satisfaction of watching this man’s face slowly turn white when he realized my secretary was actually calling the police, loud enough for him to hear it. Within seconds he was gone and I never heard anything from him or Mister Thomas again. Like you Sir, I to learned my lesson the hard way and decided to open my company in Bahrain instead of Dubai. I have physically been in the Dubai Cargo Village on a PR trip, what is being set up there does demand respect. And yes, the idea of a horticultural center in Dubai based on a proven Dutch model did appeal to me at first.

What a pity such a fantastic idea is being flushed down the drain by an individual, or small group of individuals. I contacted my lawyers, even contacted the Dubai police. But in both cases was told in a very polite way that without proof? A snowball in hell hade more chances then I did, so I gave it up until I bumped into your posting. It’s a pity that honesty like you have shown to me and others that have seen your posting so often comes with a very high price tag attached to it. I think, and I don’t want this to sound as an insult, that you can kiss any job opportunities in Dubai goodbye.

But on the other hand? If you ever want a job in Canada or the US? For you? My door will always be open. Honesty shines like a bright star on a dark evening Mister Wind, I wish you all the luck in finding a job, you sure are made of the right material.

Paul

Originally Posted by DubaiExpat

Frans what you said is quite disturbing, so this must mean this forum is being monitored Surely it is a terrible thing when you get in trouble only for expressing your opinions, how terrible

Originally Posted by Covenant

Correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I understand about the Dubai organisational and power structure, unless you are a member of the royal family or you are a born and bred native, you have little responsibility and power, and it seems to me that this 'gentleman' Mr Thomas, cannot be a foreign national to weld the type of power that is inferred.

Again I may be wrong, so apologies in advance.

Originally Posted by DubaiExpat

Frans what you said is quite disturbing, so this must mean this forum is being monitored Surely it is a terrible thing when you get in trouble only for expressing your opinions, how terrible