DUBAI If you happen to find an item that someone has lost in Dubai, you can either hand it over to the police and be rewarded or be criminally liable.
Law No. 5, 2015 on lost and abandoned property passed under a decree by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice-President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, on April 13 stipulates that anyone who finds any lost and/or abandoned property, including money, is obliged to submit it to the police within 48 hours, following which the police will issue a report. Failure to do so carries a criminal liability.
The finder of the lost and/or abandoned property is entitled to receive a reward equivalent to 10 per cent of the total value of the lost and/or abandoned property, limited to Dh50,000. The reward will be payable whether the owner claims the property or not. The finder may claim the entire property if it is not claimed by the owner within one year from the date of submission to the police.
Nita Maru, solicitor and managing partner at TWS Legal Consultants, said: “This is a great legal development. I feel that regulation in this area and the financial incentives offered will promote the moral obligations and honesty that I personally feel already exist in Dubai.”
Trust booster
Reda Hegazy, senior legal adviser and arbitrator, Al Suwaidi & Company, said: “The law will encourage the public to submit lost or abandoned items to its lawful owners and will boost residents’ honesty and trustworthiness.”
He said: “In case of violation, the extent of criminal liability of the violator, whether by fine, imprisonment, etc is not immediately clear. In case of lost monies, after the finder surrenders it to the police, there is an assumption that he automatically receives 10 per cent of the total value, limited to Dh50,000.”
He said: “The law is not specific in terms of lost monies submitted to the police station after the lapse of one year if left unclaimed, whether or not the finder can withdraw the same from the police or these monies will form part of the government’s funds. This new procedure is a helpful guideline to the finder as to which specific agency it can report or surrender lost or abandoned property and discourage the finder to keep the items/property unlawfully.”
Tina Thapar of Al Midfa Advocates & Legal Consultants said: “One thing is for sure with this law - no one must touch anything that does not belong to them and if they do find things that do not belong to them, they must be handed over to the authorities within 48 hours. It will be deemed as a criminal act if it is proved that something in your custody is actually not yours. At the same time the public will be rewarded for handing over the items to the police,” she said.
