Q: Hello, I met someone who needed financing for the business and offered me a business partnership. We entered into an agreement to add my name to the trade license as a partner, working on a 75/25 ratio. I incurred various expenses for his office, such as paying past DEWA bills, Chamber of Commerce payments, unpaid chiller bills, internet bills, and phone bills. All expenses were covered from my bank, and I have all transaction details with bank statements reflecting payments towards his office. I also paid cash salaries for overdue employees. However, he is not creating a legal agreement with me nor returning my money despite not proceeding with the partnership. I am seeking advice on legal options for such financial fraud. I have all documents related to him and his company, including bills paid towards his company, as well as screenshots of our conversations where he agreed to make payments but has not followed through. Kindly help me find a suitable way to tackle this situation where my funds are stuck.

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, I am currently facing a complex situation involving a business partnership gone sour. Two years ago, a friend and I embarked on a bed space business venture without obtaining a trade license. While I covered the full investment, my friend took responsibility for managing the flat. We agreed to split the profits 50-50. However, over the past 8 months, he has been withholding profits and not contributing to utility payments, leaving me to bear the losses. Despite my repeated requests for reimbursement, he consistently delays payment. Recently, he renewed the flat in his name and is claiming ownership. Furthermore, he has replaced me with another partner and refuses to compensate me for my share of the goodwill amount, which amounts to approximately AED 30,000. Additionally, he is spreading false accusations about me to mutual friends, tarnishing my reputation. My question is, do I have any legal rights to claim from him? If so, what would be the appropriate legal procedure to pursue in this case?

Q: I opened a cafeteria with my colleague spending AED 120000/- each. I was an investing partner and my colleague was the working partner. A few weeks after the cafeteria opened, we had a lot of disputes because I noticed fraud in accounts and initial setup expenses from his end. So I decided to exit the business and I asked for my money back. But he is refusing to pay back anything. The trade license was issued in the sponsor's name and not in any of our names so I could not do anything. Also, I paid him most of the money in cash as I trusted him then. However, I have a mutually signed agreement with the 120k mentioned as paid to him in that. How can I get my money back?

An interview-format article covering the topic of shareholder disputes in the UAE and pre-emptive measure to be considered. This is from the legal podcast of lawyer Ludmila Yamalova, the founder of Lawgical with LYLAW.

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