Q: Dear fellow colleagues, A client of mine, resident in Dubai, would like to open a criminal case against an expat who is not anymore in Dubai. The "gentleman" stole 8.3 bitcoins (!) promising a huge return in interest (5% per month, still advertised on the internet), then he stole a client's database with more than 600 passports, phone numbers, signatures... Breach of trust, theft, IT crime, and so on... We are looking for a colleague in the UAE to give a POA and open one or more criminal cases, following the case in the court up to the first instance. The goal is to have a sentence, also knowing that the gentleman is no more in Dubai. Thank you Dr W. F.

Q: I was a victim of a crypto-scam and have tried to file a police report on multiple occasions. However, they continue to reject my complaint. Can this be filed by a legal representative? Perhaps they will take it more seriously.

Q: Dear sir/madam, It is related to cryptocurrency. On 26th Jan 2022, I made a deal on Binance exchange for selling crypto tokens worth AED 100.000 to a person (buyer). Accordingly, I received the money and the crypto tokens were released. But the money I received was from her sister's account as the buyer told me. I asked for the Emirates ID of both persons and released the cryptocurrency to the buyer in a good faith. On 31st Jan 2022, I came to know that the party (her sister) who had transferred money to my bank had become a victim of e-commerce fraud, and her account was hacked by a Binance buyer who has transferred money to me on the pretext of other bank account holder. My bank account has been frozen upon complaint from the other party whose bank details were compromised and I am having a travel ban currently. I also registered an e-crime complaint on 1st Feb 2022. Please get in touch if you can assist in removing the travel ban.

Q: I had a misdemeanor case against another accused whom I don't know. The first video call court hearing was on 23 Oct, and the first accused came with his lawyer but I couldn't afford a lawyer. During the hearing, it was very difficult for me to make the judge understand I was not guilty as I don't speak Arabic and the translator also couldn't help that much, since the case is related to crypto buy & sell. Seems they don't understand it properly. So after the first hearing, I checked what the case status was showing. It was decided to postpone the session to 11/06/2024 to submit a defense memorandum for the first accused (the other accused) with the arrest and bringing of the accused. Now they issued arrest warrants against both of us. I am so scared now, please someone guide me on what I can do now. Is there any chance to hire a lawyer now? What is going to happen at the next hearing? Will the police arrest me and take me to the court on the next hearing which is on 6 November?

The new law is applicable to all entities dealing with virtual assets that are set up on the mainland as well as free zones, including special development zones. However, it does not apply to the Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC), which will have its own set of rules and regulations governing all virtual assets entities registered with the DIFC.

A legal concept upheld by the Federal Supreme Court states that drug use is not prosecuted by UAE courts if the offense occurred abroad. A positive drug test is accepted as proof of drug use, but it does not reveal whether the drug use occurred domestically or abroad. It is necessary to establish the crime's location in order to decide if the UAE courts have the authority to investigate it or if foreign courts should have jurisdiction over it.

Blackwater International, a leading private security and investigative company, has established a reputation for handling complex and high-stakes operations. One of the most challenging areas the company has ventured into is cryptocurrency asset recovery. This case study explores a recent successful recovery operation conducted by Blackwater International, highlighting their methodology, challenges faced, and the impact of their efforts.

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 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).