Q: Good day, Look forward to your kind legal advice for my query below. I am a resident of Dubai (Indian national) and I have an outstanding loan of AED 120000 with ADCB bank and they had bounced my security cheque on 15.11.2017 with amount mentioning AED 1400000 as I have defaulted last 3 EMI's (including November). I tried my best by consulting bank's collection executives saying I can pay 1 EMI right now and remaining in next few days but no use. What will be the lead time for them filing a case against me? Can I walk out of police station by paying fine? If yes, how much? If sentenced, then how many days/months will I be in jail? My residence visa expired on 17.11.2017 and company said they will renew in next few days. Will it affect me coming out by surrendering passport? Can I change job & visa if I have a case against me open? Looking forward to your kind advice and suggestions so I can plan accordingly. Many Thanks, HK

Q: 3 years ago I issued 2 cheques to the landlord as a guarantee for flats taken. Then I lost my job and failed to pay some rents. He filed a criminal case using the blank guarantee cheque from me (Landlord put amount AED 270k). In addition, the landlord filed a case with the Rent Dispute Center. Since I am now overstaying for almost 3 years, I wanted to avail the amnesty by surrendering to police and facing 2 criminal cases. Once the case has been forwarded to court with a 1-year jail term, what will happen to me if I surrender to the police? Can I appeal to court the 1-year jail term through hiring a lawyer and paying fines? Will I be banned because of the case/complaint with the Rent Dispute Center? Is the civil case different from the above-mentioned cases filed against me? Will I pay extra for overstaying, even if the cause is because of the criminal cases filed against me? What are the steps or action to be taken to resolve the problem? Please help

Q: What about cheque bounce case in emirate of Ajman? I have 6 rental cheques total worth 18000. The case is in Ajman police station. Can I pay the fine and renew my visa because my visa has expired?

Q: Hi, Since 2018, I have cheque case amount of AED 345000. During my absence, the court has sentenced me for 18 months of jail. Now I'm in India. How can I clear with the use of POA and how long will it take to clear? I have to return back to the UAE asap.

Q: Hi, I have a cheque case in UAE (Amount is AED 345000) since 2018. During my absence, the court has judged 18 months of jail. Now I'm in India, how I can clear it with the use of a POA and what is the time frame as well?

Q: I have a police case in Ajman court. The judgment is AED 1100 fine and 1-month jail. I paid the fine but I did not go to court and surrender to 1-month jail. Now my visit visa is expired and I cannot extend it. I want to go to my country. Any options that I have without going to jail for 1 month?

In the UAE, cheque bounce is a very frequent problem faced by people during their span in the country. It is covered under the purview of Commercial Transactions Law, and legal implications/penalties can be financially severe and daunting for more “serious” offenses. Bounced cheque issues may arise in a variety of commercial transactions, including but not limited to, companies’ exchanges, bank loans, property rents or purchases, and individual transactions.

As the civil and commercial transactions in the UAE have been growing rapidly, and due to replacing cash with other financial instruments such as cheques for big amounts of money, this had caused some hiccups at times leading to criminal and civil consequences on the person who defaults on fulfilling obligations.

With the introduction of the new procedures for obtaining a power of attorney (POA) remotely in the UAE, after it was mandatory to appear in person in front of the notary public as a global rule to ensure the identity and intention of the person requesting a POA, we put between your hands this brief guide for how you get it done.

This Law promulgates the Federal Penal Code (Criminal Law) of the United Arab Emirates. Crimes and chastisement punishments shall be determined in accordance with the provisions of this Law and other penal codes.

The provisions of this law, promulgating UAE Civil Code, govern the civil transactions in the United Arab Emirates. The commercial transactions remain subject to the laws and regulations applicable in their regard.

The provisions of this Decree by Law amend the Federal Law No. (18) of 1993 by replacing Clause (4) of Article (379) as well as Articles (600), (617), (641), (642), (643), (644), and adding new articles numbered (635) Bis, (641) Bis (1), (641) Bis (2), (641) Bis (3), (641) Bis (4), (643) Bis (1), (643) Bis (2), (644) Bis (1) and (644) Bis (2). The Decree-Law also repeals Articles (401), (402) and (403) of the Federal Law No. (3) of 1987.