Dubai Court orders man to repay Dhs690,000 in forgery and money laundering case

The Civil Court in Dubai has ordered a man — previously convicted and sentenced to three years in jail for forgery, embezzlement and money laundering — to return Dhs690,000 he seized from a woman, in addition to Dhs100,000 in compensation for material and moral damages, along with 5% legal interest until full payment, based on a final criminal judgment confirming his crimes.

The woman filed a lawsuit demanding that the defendant return a total of Dhs1.69 million with legal interest. She explained that she had earlier filed a complaint with the police against him and others, accusing him of committing several crimes including forging official and unofficial documents and using them, forging electronic documents, money laundering, using a valid official document in another person’s name without authorisation, and seizing funds.

She added that the Criminal Court in Dubai issued a judgment in August 2025 convicting the defendant and sentencing him to three years in prison, fining him the stolen amount of Dhs690,000, confiscating the forged documents, and ordering the deletion of the forged data from the victim company’s website, while acquitting the remaining defendants. This prompted her to file the civil lawsuit seeking the return of the funds and compensation for the damages she suffered.

The court stated that the final criminal judgment confirmed the defendant’s commission of the criminal acts and his seizure of the plaintiff’s funds, establishing fault and civil liability on his part.

The court further ruled that the defendant’s seizure of Dhs690,000 without legitimate grounds obliges him to return the amount. It also found that his actions caused both material and moral damage to the plaintiff and therefore awarded Dhs100,000 in compensation.