UAE: Abu Dhabi court orders five to repay over Dh631,000 in banking scam

Dubai: The Abu Dhabi Civil Court has ordered five individuals to repay Dh631,034 to a man they defrauded after stealing his banking data and illegally transferring the funds. The court also awarded the victim Dh30,000 in compensation for material and moral damages.

According to court documents, the victim filed a civil lawsuit against the five-member gang, demanding the return of Dh631,034 and an additional Dh50,000 in compensation. He claimed the defendants had accessed his banking information and seized his money through deception and fraud.

The court noted that the defendants had already been convicted in criminal proceedings, with two sentenced in person and the remaining three convicted in absentia. Each was sentenced to three months in prison, ordered to pay court fees, and deported from the UAE.

In its reasoning, the court cited the UAE Civil Transactions Law, which stipulates that no one may take another’s property without lawful cause and must return it if obtained unlawfully. It added that criminal verdicts hold binding authority in civil cases when they establish facts common to both proceedings.

The judgment confirmed that the defendants had defrauded the plaintiff and unlawfully seized the disputed amount. The court further ruled that, based on the proven wrongdoing, the defendants’ actions caused both financial loss and emotional distress to the victim, who was deprived of his money and suffered grief as a result.

The court therefore ordered the defendants to jointly repay Dh631,034 and compensate the plaintiff with Dh30,000 for material and moral damages, in addition to covering court fees and expenses. All other claims were dismissed.