Q: I had lent AED 56K to a person in Dubai. His cheque given to me has bounced for insufficient funds. If I file a police case against him, will he pay a nominal fine in the court & be free? Actually, this way he has done many cases like that. My issue is how to recover my money from him. Can I file a civil case against him? What is the procedure for filing a civil case? After filing the police complaint, the cheque will remain in the police file, then can I file a civil case without the bounced cheque? Can I file a civil case simultaneously with the police case?

Q: Sir, I have filed a police complaint against a bounced cheque. After one year, the guy who took money from me said he closed the case by paying the fine. I want to get my money back from him. I was thinking of filing a civil case. Since I will be paying a good amount of fees for court and legal advice, is it assured that I will get my money back?

Q: Hi, I have filed a case against my client for the returned cheque of 45k. He got released after paying a fine. How can I file a civil case and which department should I approach?

Q: In the context of a bounced cheque, what is the difference between a ‘performance order’ and ‘oral petition’? Are there any differences in the process, costs, time and enforcement of judgement? If they are different, what are the pros and cons of each?

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.

An interview-format article covering the topic of loans and bounced cheques in the UAE. This is from the legal podcast of lawyer Ludmila Yamalova, the founder of Lawgical with LYLAW.

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 law promulgates UAE Civil Procedures Code (Civil Procedure Law) which governs civil procedures in the United Arab Emirates, including the prosecution before the courts, litigation and execution.

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.