Abu Dhabi Court orders gang to pay Dh1.3 million for luxury car fraud

Dubai: The Abu Dhabi Court of Appeal has amended a lower court ruling and ordered a criminal gang to pay Dh1.3 million in compensation to a car owner, according to Emarat Al Youm.

 The group had forged an official document and seized three luxury vehicles worth Dh4.5 million. Police later recovered two of the cars, while the third, valued at Dh1.1 million, remains missing.

According to court documents, the victim filed a lawsuit against the gang members, demanding Dh5 million in compensation for material and moral damages, along with legal fees. He said the defendants had falsified official papers with the help of a well-intentioned employee and transferred ownership of his three luxury cars to two members of the group. The gang then sold one of the vehicles, effectively taking control of his property.

The court found that the defendants had already been convicted in a criminal case and sentenced to five years in prison, fined Dh150,000 each, and ordered deported. The civil court initially ruled that they must pay Dh1.6 million in compensation.

One of the convicted men appealed the verdict, arguing that his sentence had later been reduced to one year and that the original compensation was excessive and unsupported by evidence.

In its ruling, the appellate court confirmed that the charge of unlawfully seizing the victim’s property was proven beyond doubt. It noted that the defendant played a direct role in laundering the proceeds of the fraud by selling the stolen cars in his dealership after multiple fake ownership transfers intended to conceal the crime