Q: Hi! A bank has filed a case against me recently with Dubai Police for defaulting on loan payments. They have presented a cheque of AED 261,000 and the police have given me a date after a week for the court hearing. The actual loan amount pending is AED 147,000. What sort of penalties can be imposed by the court on me and do I need to hire a lawyer for this hearing?

Q: Over AED 200k or under AED 200k? I am confused as to how my police case will be treated by the police/justice system based on the 200k rule. The bounced cheque was for AED 235,000. However, my outstanding balance with the bank is around AED150,000. The cheque is slightly above 200k yet the outstanding balance is below 200k. Is it safe to assume I'm being treated as though the cheque was under 200k? How do I find out sure? I only received a paper with my photo on it which the policeman asked me to sign. I have no idea what I signed as it is all in Arabic. Secondly, why did the airport police take my passport? I thought the police no longer confiscate passports for loan cases due to the new 'smart bail 'system. My visa is up for renewal in 1 month. Can I get my passport back from the police (even just temporarily) to renew my visa? If I can't renew my visa, I can't work and won't be able to pay anything. As long as I renew visa and keep my job, I can settle the loan in around 6 months. Thanks

Q: Hi, I needed to know if the court issues a judgment of 2 or 3 months jail term in cheque bounce case, is there a way to reverse the judgment or avoid the sentence? Possibly if the creditor withdraws the case? I have received a judgment of a jail term of 2 months for AED 1 Million security cheque bounce against a loan that is 75% paid off and a 3 months jail term for multiple cheques to a single supplier valued at AED 48,000.00 approx. What can I do avoid jail terms and wondering how AED 48k cumulative value would result in jail term? Appreciate a solution for this. Thanks.

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.

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 law promulgates UAE Criminal Procedural Law (Penal Procedures Law) which governs criminal procedures in the UAE. This law applies to the procedures relating to offences whose punishments are not specified, dogma and punitive offences, and blood money, if they do not violate the Sharia rules.

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.