Q: My ex-wife has bounced two rent cheques totalling AED 46000 from a joint account that she has been removed from 4 weeks ago. I was stopped at the border as I work for Emirates and my passport has been taken until the debt is cleared. She is willing to give her passport to guarantee the debt but will this be allowed? I need my passport to work and she is willing to take responsibility for the debt.

Q: I have a bank case of AED 64000 for which I was caught from Airport upon my return from vacation on Oct 3rd. I was detained in Naif police station and next day they gave me bail by keeping my passport. Now I have received a summons from court to appear before the prosecutor on Nov 5th. I'm really afraid if they will put me in jail again. I also didn't go for negotiation with the bank as many of my friends advised me that there is no need for that as I will have to pay only a fine of AED 2000 for this. Is it true? I feel very worried as the day is approaching. Please help urgently.

Q: Good day Sir, Please, I would like to know if it is legal for an employer to hold his employee's educational certificates and passport after frequent requests by the employee to return his documents? This has cost me a lot of loss in terms of time and money while doing online courses. I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks

The UAE has adopted a major reform in its legislative system that brought about 40 new laws and amendments to the company law, criminal law, personal status, among others. The amendments aim to develop the legislative structure in various sectors, the labor law being one of these, was the most recent. We try in this article to shed light on the changes introduced with the new labor law and their significance on both, the employer and employee.

In a criminal proceeding, the standard of proof to uphold a conviction is beyond a reasonable doubt. The prosecution has the duty of establishing the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt in a criminal proceeding. This implies that the prosecution has to persuade the court that the evidence used in the trial cannot lead to any other plausible conclusion.

The law promulgates UAE Criminal Procedural Law (Penal Procedures Law) which governs criminal procedures in the UAE. This law applies to the procedures relating to offences whose punishments are not specified, dogma and punitive offences, and blood money, if they do not violate the Sharia rules.

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).