Q: Salam Alaykum. I filed a civil case and I got a settlement where I received half the funds in cash and the rest in three cheques. At the same time, I lifted the travel ban. Three cheques bounced to me and that person ran away from Dubai. A month later in 2012, I opened a criminal case, and the accused was sentenced in absentia to a couple of months imprisonment. Will my case have any timeframe? When will it expire? According to the new cheque law, can the accused clear the criminal case? What should I do to extend the validity of my case to receive funds in the future if the accused decided to come back to Dubai? Best regards.

Q: How do I proceed legally on a personal loan that has been unpaid for over 5 years?

Q: I am Ravi, doing business in Ajman. I had to come to India on an emergency by Aug 18. Unfortunately, there was a cheque of AED 120K issued to one of the suppliers [in Sharjah] and it got bounced. I have personally called and informed them, upon reaching back I will give the money. They are not accepting my request and started threatening my son who's living alone in the UAE. He's calling me to India saying that they will put me in a UAE jail [in case I am there] and they are going to file a new case in India to stop me from travelling to the UAE. Now, they're demanding me to pay AED 140K, otherwise, they will not withdraw the case against me. If I arrange AED 90K now & surrender the passport, will the police allow me to go out to arrange the balance amount? In case I could arrange the full amount of AED 120K will they release me? Any possibility to clear it off without arresting me? If I arrive at Dubai Airport, will I be shifted to Sharjah? Or Ajman? Please advise how to resolve this.

Q: I live in a Sharjah flat. Two of my cheques bounced and the third cheque went smoothly. Now my building real estate lawyer doesn't want to take one payment at a time. He wants the full money of two bounced cheques plus the lawyer fees, which is huge too. Is this fair?

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.

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.

The law promulgates UAE Civil Procedures Code (Civil Procedure Law) which governs civil procedures in the United Arab Emirates, including the prosecution before the courts, litigation and execution.