Q: Hello, I had recently signed a sale contract of my property through a broker in Dubai. The broker was supposed to have the deposit 10% cheques. When I had asked for a copy of the deposit cheques, I realized it was from a third party. Doing a background check of the third party company, I discovered that the third-party company had an expired trade license (they provided valid dates on trade license, meaning government trade license document was forged) and now the sales agreement dates are coming to an end; I don't have managers cheques nor valid deposit cheques. The only documents I have are deposit cheques from a third party, letter of assurance from the third party company (with forged copy-pasted signature and no stamp, forged trade license of the third-party company). What can I do?

Q: 5 years back, I paid a real estate broker an amount of AED 797,420 in cash towards booking amount for 3 units in an under construction building in Dubai Marina. He has cheated me by giving me bogus stamped registration forms from the developer and has never paid the money to them. The developer has no record of me in their system. I have tried to speak numerous times with the broker but he insists that the documents are all true and the money has been paid to the escrow account, but the developer has verbally confirmed otherwise. Since the forms are all bogus, the developer is refusing to communicate with me officially. I need legal assistance to get information from the developer as they are the only ones who can prove that these forms are bogus. Do let me know future course of action and fees applicable as well. Best Regards,

Q: The Bank filed a false case against me and when I visited the bank's legal team I found that all my documents were forged and the loan was processed. I suffered in jail for one day and then the case was withdrawn by the bank. How to demand an explanation and compensation from the bank? Am I eligible to sue the bank? I'm currently financially weak and would like to pay the lawyer fees after getting any compensation. I have proof of forged documents.

Q: Hello everyone, I bought an off-plan unit from a developer around Feb. 2018. They promised to deliver by March 2019, but they kept on postponing. Along the way, they asked me to sign the SPA. I said I won't and requested them to refund me my payments. At one point, they agreed and later they said no. I have all these correspondences on email. Finally, the developer forged my signature and signed the SPA by themselves and registered it with DLD, and processed the cancellation. When I visited DLD, I have been shown a SPA signed under my name on May 13, 2021. The signature was done fraudulently because I did not sign it. I made a payment of more than AED 130K. I would appreciate your guidance.

Q: Hey, I'm building my house in Dubai, and it was going well. I gave the contractor 420k as a first payment, and we both agreed that the rest would be in installments. Just two months ago, the contractor went off the grid, and I can't find him. All I have is a security cheque that bounced back when I went to the bank, as the signature doesn't match what's in the file. However, I learnt that he does have money, but not the amount that's in the cheque. What should I do now to get my money back? I need advice.

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

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.

This Bylaw regulates the Real Estate Brokers Register in the Emirate of Dubai. No person may engage in real estate brokerage activities in Dubai unless he is licensed by the competent entities and entered in the register, which is maintained by Dubai Land Department.

This Decree establishes a special tribunal with exclusive jurisdiction to settle complaints related to dishonoured cheques which are issued by a purchaser and made payable to a real estate developer, or those cheques issued by those with usufruct rights or with long-term leasehold rights.

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 Federal Decree-Law No. (31) of 2021 Promulgating the Crimes and Penalties Law, known as the "New UAE Penal Code", governs criminal actions in the United Arab Emirates. The New Penal Code repeals the previous UAE Penal Code (Federal Law No. (3) of 1987 Promulgating the Penal Code).