Q: Hi, My business partner has on numerous occasions falsely accused me of theft of company property. These accusations were made by email and in a legal notice from his lawyers, and I have proof of all communication as well as my innocence. As well as that all of his accusations are without any proof whatsoever. There is already an ongoing criminal case between myself and him as he physically attacked me a few weeks ago. I want to know what I can do to stop him from constantly sending me emails accusing me of theft and threatening me. Can I take out a case against him for false accusations? Thanks

Q: I was terminated from my company on the accusation of theft. My company said that they have a CCTV footage which they did not present during the committee meeting. There was no money or goods retrieved from me by my company security. They only have my admission. Since they were telling me that they will send it to the police if I won't admit that happened on 19 March, the committee meeting which was supposed to investigate was held 2 days after. My company kept me suspended until the 5th of April and handed me the termination letter, which states that I am terminated from the 19th of March. What are my chances on this? I am so confused right now and I really need help.

Q: We've been in a situation with another driver at the mall parking. While driving past us, she drove her car to block us. When we got out of the car, she was very angry with us. First, she was accusing us of saying the F word to her while we were in the car (We did not). Then she said that my wife was giving her the middle finger (Again, my wife did not). She was simply reaching out to wear the car seat belt.). No matter how much we tried to explain or calm her down, she insisted that she would report to the police. She then took our car plate no. and drove off. We're 100% sure that we didn't do any of the things she said. However, we're not sure if that corner of the mall has a camera to prove our innocence. We're really worried that this would turn into a serious matter and we don't have a chance to explain ourselves. What do you suggest us to do in this case?

Q: A judgement issued today in a criminal case for stealing has resulted in a jail term of three months. An appeal application hearing has been made, in order to turn the jail term into a fine. The appeal date has been set for January 2018, and we were informed that we can make an application to have the appeal heard earlier, is this possible? We would like to convert and pay the fine as soon as possible, in order for the subject to be closed and the accused to have his passport back.

Q: I am a UK citizen, 46 years old, and I have been charged with theft, being drunk and assaulting a police officer. I was in a holding centre for 16 days and after seeing the prosecutor, he let me out whilst holding my passport for bail conditions. Can I expect a jail sentence or a fine?

Q: My sister tried to take 40 items from [----] retail on Friday. She was in custody since then and now she is sentenced for 1-month imprisonment and deportation. This has been the judgement of the local police station. This is the first case ever with her, no criminal record of any type before. Is this judgement temporary or can anyone make it worse before this is finished?

Q: In the UAE, if a foreigner is given a one-month jail term and deportation sentence for a shoplifting charge, but the sentence has been suspended for three years by an appeals court, what exactly does that entail?

Q: I drank a soft drink of 3 dirhams from a grocery shop and forgot to pay at that time. And after going 5 times and shopping with them, I had also forgotten that. Now, while shopping the sixth time, they informed me that it was in their CCTV footage so I said ok, take it now but instead of that, they forced me to pay a penalty of 500 dirhams.

Q: Six months ago, I was caught shoplifting at a supermarket in Sharjah by their security personnel. They did not involve the police, and instead, I paid for the stolen items and wrote a statement acknowledging that the issue was resolved amicably without police intervention. I have since visited the same supermarket multiple times and have not faced any further confrontations. I am now concerned if the supermarket will still file a complaint against me with the police after all this time, even though I have receipts for all my purchases. Can you please advise me on this matter? Thank you.

Q: Dear whom it may concern, I would like to ask on behalf of a family member who faces a trial soon in Sharjah on charges of theft. He is concerned about the level of punishment he faces. (Roughly 6,500 dirhams worth of goods were stolen.over four times. He has maintained his position of guilt from the beginning. He has compensated the victims twice the amount, roughly 12000 dirhams and the complainant has agreed to drop the charges). It seems like the case will be classified as a misdemeanor "Jonhaa". What can he expect his punishment to be? And would appointing a lawyer help to lower the punishment at this stage? Thank you in advance!

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).