Man buys 10 camels, takes delivery and refuses to pay Dh600,000

Al Ain: A man who bought 10 camels for Dh600,000 and took possession of them without paying has been ordered by an Al Ain court to settle the full amount after admitting the debt and acknowledging it in WhatsApp messages.

The Al Ain Civil, Commercial and Administrative Claims Court ordered the buyer to pay Dh600,000 to the seller, as well as court fees and expenses.

The ruling rested on the defendant’s acknowledgement that he owed the money, together with WhatsApp exchanges in which he recognised the debt and promised to pay it. He provided no evidence that the amount had subsequently been settled, per Emarat Al Youm.

The case was brought by a man who said he had sold 10 camels to the defendant for Dh600,000. According to his lawsuit, the buyer received the animals but failed to pay despite repeated requests.

The seller submitted WhatsApp conversations between the two men as evidence. The messages showed him demanding payment and the defendant responding in terms that acknowledged the amount owed and included a promise to settle it.

The defendant also admitted before the court that he owed the Dh600,000 but said he was currently unable to pay, while the claimant maintained his demand for the full amount.

In its reasoning, the court cited provisions of the UAE evidence law governing civil and commercial transactions, under which an admission is a person’s acknowledgement of a right owed to another.

The court said an admission is considered judicial when a party acknowledges before a court, either directly or through remote communication technology, a legal fact alleged against them.

It noted that the defendant did not deny that the WhatsApp conversations were his when he appeared during the case-preparation stage, nor did he dispute their contents.

Instead, he expressly acknowledged that he had bought the camels from the claimant for Dh600,000 and that the amount remained due. His only contention was that he was unable to pay at the time.

The court found that the admission was made during the proceedings and covered the amount claimed, its value and the reason it was owed, making it binding on the defendant.

It also said the admission was consistent with the electronic conversations submitted by the claimant.

With no evidence showing that the debt had been paid or extinguished for any other legal reason, the court found that the Dh600,000 remained outstanding.

It consequently ordered the defendant to pay the seller the full amount, in addition to legal fees and expenses.