Questions & Answers - Legal Advice Middle East

Paid for business costs to be a partner, now ignored. How to reclaim my money?

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.

How can I claim money I lent to my cousin to start business and is not returning back?

Q: My cousin who lives in Dubai took around AED 280000 from me on December 2023 for business and he told me that within one month he would return the money back with profits. Now it`s been almost a year he has not returned my money back. I have no written contract. The only proof I have is WhatsApp chats, videos, and voice messages of him that he received money from me and that he would return it back within one month. In August 2023 I told him that if you don`t return my money, then I would hire a lawyer and do a case. Then his father returned almost 20% of the amount back in August 2023 and told me the remaining amount I would receive from them by the end of November or December 2023. But now they are not giving me the money and telling me to go to the police or hire a lawyer, file a case do whatever I want to do. Kindly please advise me if hiring a lawyer in Dubai will be helpful or not. Will I be able to recover my money in Dubai in a legal way in such a case?

I left the UAE with an unpaid loan and termination from work. Can I return again?

Q: Respected Sir, I have an unpaid loan of AED 40k in the UAE. For two years I have been in Pakistan and the company terminated me. Can I go again to the UAE?

Can the company ask for compensation if I did not complete my notice period after resignation?

Q: I resigned from the company by giving notice of 30 days but wasn`t able to complete the duration. I took an absence leave for the last 06 days and every day sent an email to the company for taking leave on those days. Once the 30 days were completed, my company sent me an email claiming the following: "Due to your failure to serve the notice period since submitting your letter of resignation, which is considered a clear violation of the labor law, it requires compensation depending on the type of damage you caused". Can the company take such action even after informing them every day and not receiving any response from them?

Can the building management ask me to pay the one-year expenses for non-registration of Ejari?

Q: My building asked the tenants to register for the empower portal after 1 year of tenancy. After my lease renewal, I asked the management team to provide me the Ejari and they stated I have to pay for the non-registration period (the 1 year before empowering registration) to the landlord, otherwise, I won`t get the Ejari. Am I supposed to pay for that period?

Can I go for Hajj while having an outstanding loan in the UAE?

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, I discovered an AED 158,000 police case at Al Raffa Police Station in Dubai, and the crime description is "giving a cheque without balance in bad faith." Actually, I took a loan in 2018, and then, due to job circumstances, I left the UAE. Can you please help me in two ways? First, let me know if I need to pay this amount to enter the UAE, as I remember I also left some card payments unresolved. Second, can I go for Hajj in the upcoming session, and will this have any impact if I take a direct flight?

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What should my final payments be upon termination after one year?

Q: Dear Questioner, My employer gave a 30-day notice to everyone, stating that our restaurant is permanently closing. It is located in DMCC, and our contracts are managed by DMCC. I just need to know, according to labor law, what my final payments should be. I completed one year on December 26, 2023. Will I be paid only one month`s salary, which falls within the 30-day notice period, or will my employer have to pay three months since they are the ones who decided to close down?

Defendant stopped payments, says arrest needs proof of funds. What to do?

Q: Hello, I have won a civil case for claiming an unpaid personal cash loan. The defendant paid 50% of the total amount due and the remaining 50% in monthly installments. However, she stopped making payments because of a new law implemented last November, stating that I can only arrest her if I have evidence or a report confirming she has money. Is this true? If so, what is the process for this? I need advice, and should I hire a lawyer for this matter?

Can personal assets be linked to an FZ LLC company case?

Q: Hello! I hope all is well. Long ago, there was a hotel where we placed our employees for an event. The event got canceled early by the government under a situation not under our control. We then simply paid for the number of nights we stayed. However, the agreement was for a longer duration. The event cancellation led to a three-year legal case where we had testimonials from the hotel itself, the government, and staff regarding this issue. The case was dismissed, and we won. However, they reapplied the case a year ago, and since then, we haven`t heard anything or received any notification. The judge gave them the right, and now we need to pay them over 100,000 AED. I`m worried that they can attack my personal assets since everything within the operation was done via an FZ LLC company. The case was dismissed thrice, but on the fourth attempt, it was accepted by the judge. What do I do now? Do I sell my house, or is my house safe since it`s under a mortgage by a bank? Can they attack it?

Lifting a permanent ban and traveling to the UAE on a spouse/dependent visa

Q: Hello, I have a permanent ban in the UAE due to old lung scars. As my wife has found a job in Dubai, she wants to sponsor me as a dependent. Is it possible to remove the permanent ban and allow me to travel to the UAE on a Spouse/Dependent visa?

Can I convert my 30-day vacation to cash after a year in the company?

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, Please kindly help with my case: 1) May I know if I need to pay the company for my visa for resigning after 1 year? My contract is a limited contract for 2 years. 2) During my 1 year in the company, I worked on every public holiday in the retail industry without being paid or compensated. How can I retrieve the compensation for those days? 3) Can I convert my 30-day vacation to cash without taking the vacation after 1 year in the company? Please let me know. Thank you so much!

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The UAE stamp on my degree is fake. What are the consequences?

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, I have an original degree. I want a visa. My company boss asked me about the degree; I said I have it and gave it to him. He sent it to Pakistan for MOFA testing. However, when the boss submitted it here in Dubai, they claimed it had a fake stamp, and now they have blocked me. I have a criminal case now. Can you please guide me on how long the court will take and whether they will arrest me or not? The degree is original with Pakistani stamps, HSC, and all, only the UAE stamp is fake.

Terminated due to redundancy. Am I eligible for compensation?

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, I have been terminated from my company with a 30-day notice period after serving 11 months. According to my manager, my role has become redundant, and they aim to reduce expenses. However, they did not mention any reason in my termination letter. Moreover, they are requesting me to train my replacement during my notice period. I would like to understand if I can receive compensation due to unfair termination and whether I am obligated to provide training to my replacement.

How soon can I expect a call or email about a case update?

Q: Hi, The other party filed a labor case against me last December 1, but there is no update from the court regarding the hearing, case number, etc. How long does it take for me to receive a call or email regarding the update of the case? Thank you!

Closed business, bounced cheques: Passport ban and family implications?

Q: Dear Sir/Madam, If a person had a business in Dubai and wound up the business, but some security cheques were in his name and bounced, would there be a travel ban on his passport? Additionally, would the visit of his son or family be affected or implicated in any way?

Is it permitted to have two full-time jobs simultaneously?

Q: Hi, I want more information about labor laws in the UAE regarding having two full-time jobs simultaneously, one in Dubai and the other in the EU. Is this permitted? Do you also offer a service to review my contract before signing? Please note that I don`t have a UAE number. If you prefer in-person contact, we can set up a call online or via WhatsApp.