Q: I am an engineer and I was working in a construction company in Dubai where I am based. I have issued a cheque of AED 150,000 for a personal loan with a bank. Due to the lack of work and the company terminated me for 2 months, I am suffering from my personal loan and the bank filed a case now. 5 months back, they filed a case which I don't know for a travel ban and I was in jailed 4 and half days. After that, I paid AED 10000 to Dubai court after they released me. I heard that civil cases now are not punishable again by jail sentence like before. Is it true?

Q: The bank is saying they will go for a civil case after I came out of the criminal case for a credit card cheque bounce. I have no money to pay. Will I be jailed? I am willing to pay the outstanding amount & dues if the bank can make for me instalment plan without a downpayment. The cheque amount was 55,000. Now, the amount including fines and dues is 77,000.

Q: Hello Advocate Nikhat, How are you, Madam? My house is in Abu Dhabi and I had rent bounced cheques due to my job loss. Q.1 As we know that for a rent cheque bounce, after the police case is closed and the civil case is opened, then in this civil case, the judge will decide on the amount for instalments. Won't he consider what we say about how much we can pay? Q.2 Ref to the above question, it means there is no jail directly if we agree with the judge on the amount to be paid in instalments. Now, I understand that once the instalments are finalized, then we have to pay them regularly. The question is, in the civil case, there is no direct Jail in the first or second hearing, as the judge negotiates the amount for payment, correct? Q.3 During eviction case, when rent/lease is expired. Since the lease is now connected with Tawtheeq, so if Tawtheeq expires as the rent agreement expires, Will ADDC cut my electricity during this time? Q.4 Please, also advise what is Legal Advice Middle East, is it a law firm?

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.

There is an execution against me in the UAE; what should I do? How do I cancel the arrest warrant and summons, and how do I deal with the travel ban? Dear readers, we present this simplified article, in which we explain the implementation procedures briefly, how the defendant can deal with them, and the options he can take to enforce the judgment smoothly while decreasing the damages of implementation as much as possible.

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.