Q: Hi, I invested in a hotel business in Dubai with 7 investors including me. the cost invested by all of us was 1.05 million. One of the investors ran the restaurant full time every day, for 20 months. The guy who ran it full time cheated all of us by not paying us even a single penny in 20 months & made sure the debt goes up above AED 750K. The other 6 investors don't have any legal proof as we only invested funds. The document owner is the guy who ran the restaurant 51% & the other 49% is on friend's wife name. He hasn't paid salaries to staff, rent, vendors, vat nothing. We investors even invested additional 300k to pay rent initially, and even that he did not return us. He cheated us. Now all investors have decided to kick him out & invest more funds to clear the negative 750K. I don't want to continue with these guys anymore, so I want to quit. But they are asking me to quit with zero! I have invested AED 156500 & they are not ready to pay even one dirham. Please advise how to get at least some of my investment. Please help.

Q: We are 2 partners in a technical services LLC company, it's 6 months old. I paid some money to my partner to clear the instalment amount with setup consultancy which he didn't pay yet. Also, he's not investing his share further comparatively my investment is more for setup. He is still using the business license keeping me away (hiding), his phone is not reachable all the time, only contacting me on Whatsapp and telling lies. Due to his untrustworthy, I would like to claim my investment and damages from my partner and need to withdraw my partnership. Give me a solution.

Q: Hi I sold my shares in a restaurant business in Abu Dhabi for AED 600k, paid in post-dated cheques of AED 20k a month. The cheques are issued against the business itself, not the owner. The first AED100k were paid but starting Feb 2020, the owner stopped paying the cheques claiming the business was going bankrupt soon but the business is still operating and seems to have survived the COVID-19 situation. I need legal advice to get the owner to start paying the cheques. All the post-dated cheques are deposited in a bank but they are issued against another bank. The business is registered in Abu Dhabi.

Q: I wish to part ways with my business partner in a free company in Dubai. The business is profitable. There is no breach of law. We just do work together and I want to offer my partner an exit from the LLC. I am the appointed business director. I manage the business personally. On grounds of incompetence and personal differences, I wish to offer her a sum and get the partnership solved. What are my options and how does one evaluate the share to be dissolved fairly. Like is there a formula such as a multiple of net profits to be offered? Thank you!

Q: Dear sir/madam, We have 5 partners in a recently opened company. Two partners are dishonest and are not reporting properly to the company. We (the other 3 partners) want to terminate them on the basis of their wrong practice. What are the probable ways?

Q: Hi I'm an Irish citizen and a resident of the United Kingdom. I got investment fraud in Dubai. I invested money into a business with a Pakistani national guy in March 2024 via bank transfer into his business account. Now he's giving back the money which I invested in business after 9 months. He's preparing a letter from a local lawyer to kick me out of the business. I do not have any other option than to take out at least my money. But it's unfair to me that he used my money in business and took all the advantage. Some people say to me that if you claim money or take legal action against him, it will take too much time and I need to travel to Dubai to appear in court because it is a civil matter. But I'm not a resident. How can I follow the civil case there? That's why my partner knows that I can not do anything and this case keeps running long time and in the end nothing happens. But I'm thinking that I will submit a complaint through my embassy and I also have a solicitor in the United Kingdom.

Over the years the UAE has become a centre of trade and commerce for the Middle East, thanks to its strategic location, excellent connectivity and extensive services to assist with all aspects of business. According to the World Bank's 2016 report, the UAE has ranked 31st in the global index of ease of doing business. This encourages more entrepreneurs to set up different kinds of business entities in the country.

The provisions of this Law apply to the commercial companies established in the UAE and the foreign companies that have established in the UAE a base to conduct any activity therein or established a branch or representative office. The Law abrogates Federal Law No. (8) of 1984 Concerning Commercial Companies.

The provisions of this Federal Decree-Law No. (51) of 2023 Promulgating the Financial Restructuring and Bankruptcy Law, known as the "Bankruptcy Law" governs Financial Restructuring and Bankruptcy regulations in the United Arab Emirates