Dubai: Nakheel, the Dubai World company behind the three Palm Islands projects, confirmed to Gulf News on Friday that one if its senior employees is under investigation on bribery charges.

Nakheel said in a statement last evening that an employee is being questioned by the authorities, but did not provide any details. For days, rumours of the arrest of a senior executive had been circulating in Dubai financial circles, but the company previously neither confirmed nor denied the speculation.

However, Gulf News has learned that Nakheel’s general manager of sales, Walid Al Jaziri, is being questioned by authorities for taking kickbacks. But Nakheel refused to confirm his name.