Q: Dear Sir/Ma'am, Please tell me what I should do next after being imprisoned for a month and paying the fine for a bounced cheque (unpaid salary loan as I lost my job). They did not give me a receipt and/or any sort of clearance after paying, They just let me out of the jail. I am still in the UAE and will join a new company. Will I be able to get a visa? Hoping for your fast response. I really appreciate it. Thank you. Luba

Q: I took a personal loan from a bank in Dubai, 130000 total. Now, my pending is 99300. I lost my job and now I got another job but salary much less, so some dues came. Now, the bank deposited my guarantee cheque and it bounced. They filed a case against me for cheating the bank. How can I solve this by paying a fine? I am not able to pay now monthly.

Q: Dear Sir, I had a loan of AED 20,000 and I was paying my instalment every month until I lost my job. My outstanding amount was only AED 8000 by then, but hence I didn't have a job and I couldn't pay for 7 months. However, as I found a new job I started to pay again but a case was filed already by this time. I was jailed for 2 days and I was presented to the courts where they gave me a fine of AED 2000, then I was released. Now, the recovery department is calling me again and telling me to pay AED 14000 as they say that's my current outstanding amount. They say that a civil case will be filed if I fail to pay. So what will happen if they filed a civil case? Please advice.

Q: Hi, I held a bank card once at the limit of AED 14000 and paid enough to the bank. Suddenly, my job was gone and even I paid AED 5000 also to the bank after I got threatened by a collection agency. After that, I got a job in Qatar. Then while passing in transit, they arrested me in Dubai since the bank filed a case against me. Then I was jailed for more than a week and visited the court and explained my situation. They told me to pay the fine of 2500 AED and I paid. One day, the bank representatives have mailed me and I replied to them by saying the same statement. But suddenly today, they called and telling that I have a outstanding dept of AED 18000 and I need to pay them immediately or they will file a civil case against me. My situation is I am not able to pay them any money because even after I paid them they put me in jail. What should I do now? I need your advise please.

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: I have 5 credit card payment issues from 4 banks. Last year, I was detained for 2 days in the police station for one of the banks bouncing a cheque for AED 55,000. I went to the prosecution and paid a fine of AED 5,000 and cleared the cheque bounce case. Now, two banks are saying that they have filed a case, but they have not provided me with any case number or other details regarding the same. I tried to negotiate with the bank as I am having a bad financial situation since December 2017. Until this, all payments were done on time on every card. I wish to know how I can check if the banks filed a civil case directly without bouncing the cheque and filing a criminal complaint. I checked on the Dubai police website to see if any criminal cases are present in my name but it showed nothing. I am in doubt if I can travel in and out of the UAE. All my card limits are under AED 25000. Please suggest what can be done to check if any travel ban or cases exist on my name.

Q: If I default to pay the loan amount (3 EMI), and my outstanding is 56000/-AED with a bank, can the bank put a case against me? And how much amount can they claim against me? Thanks

Q: Good Morning Madam, My name is R. A. I took a loan in 2016 for AED 240000 from a bank and in 2017 I lost my job. I paid around AED 100000 and they filed a criminal case in 2019. I paid the penalty of 20000. Now they filed a civil case for a total of AED 168421.72. I am in India and I couldn't attend mediation because of Flight Service Ban. Today is the first hearing session. Please advise what I should do.

Q: Dear sir/madam, I got a personal loan of 230,000, and paid 35 installments out of 48 installments about (209,000 DHS) but failed to pay further due to the loss of my job. The bank deposited the guarantee check and filed a criminal case. The penalty was paid and the criminal case was released. Now the bank is asking for a settlement of 105,000 which includes accumulated interests and fines otherwise threatens to file a civil case. What is the amount I am liable to pay by law if they file a civil case? What is the best solution?

The management of individual financial affairs is crucial and all the actions must be weighed down while committing to any financial liability. Whether it's job loss that may have lead to financial failure or the opposite, one must be aware of the personal liability which will not diminish by paying fines for cheque bounce cases. There are two major types of liabilities, criminal liability and civil liability. Each has its own significance, hence, must be dealt with accordingly.

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.

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.