Abu Dhabi court orders man to return fraudulently seized Dhs58,000 to a woman

The Abu Dhabi Family, Civil and Administrative Cases Court ordered an individual to pay a woman Dhs58,868 in a case involving the fraudulent seizure of cash. The defendant was also ordered to pay Dhs5,000 in compensation, fees and legal expenses.

The case concerns a woman who filed a lawsuit against a man, accusing him of fraudulently seizing cash.

She demanded that he pay her Dhs58,868, which he had taken from her, as well as Dhs30,000 in compensation for the damage she had suffered. She also demanded payment of legal fees and expenses.

The plaintiff had previously filed a complaint with the relevant authorities against the defendant. The latter was referred to a criminal trial on charges of possessing a financial amount obtained from a fraudulent crime without having participated in its commission.

However, he obtained it under circumstances that led to the belief that its source was illegitimate. He accepted financial deposits into his bank account from the woman's account, despite there being no financial or contractual relationship between them and no notification of the relevant authorities.

The initial ruling was issued by the Bani Yas General Prosecution, convicting and punishing him for the aforementioned crimes with imprisonment.

The accused appealed against the ruling, and the Criminal Court of Appeal accepted the appeal in form and substance, amending the original ruling to deport the appellant and oblige him to pay the fees. This ruling became final and binding based on the Public Prosecution's certificate confirming that no appeal had been lodged by way of cassation. Thus, the court proved the defendant's guilt by means of a final ruling.

From the criminal rulings, it was established that the defendant had obtained the plaintiff’s money in the claimed amount. Accordingly, the court ruled that the defendant should pay the woman Dhs58,868.

The court found that the plaintiff had suffered material and moral damages as a result of being deprived of the claimed amount. Therefore, the court ruled that the defendant should compensate the lady for all the material and moral damages she had suffered due to his error, in the amount of Dhs5,000, and that he should also pay the fees, expenses and attorney’s fees.