Dubai courts: Businessman challenges Dh1.12m fine over unpaid salaries

Dubai: A businessman, who owns a fruits company in Dubai, was fined Dh1.12 million for leaving his 112 workers with unpaid salaries for three months.

The 112 Asian workers lodged before the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation [MOHRE] a group labour complaint accusing their Bangladeshi boss of failing to pay their salaries for three consecutive months.

In their complaint before the labour disputes section, the workers mentioned that their boss failed to pay their salaries between December 2017 and February 2018.

After failing to reach an amicable settlement between the litigants [company owner and the workers], MOHRE’s labour disputes section referred the case to the Dubai’s Naturalisation and Residency Prosecution.

Prosecutors accused the Bangladeshi businessman of flouting Federal Law No 8 of 2007 and accused him of failing to pay the salaries of his 112 employees and referred him to the Dubai Misdemeanours Court.

In July, the Misdemeanours Court fined the defendant Dh10,000 per worker despite having pleaded not guilty.

The Bangladeshi businessman appealed his primary punishment before the Appeal Court that upheld the Dh1.12 million fine in September.

The defendant challenged his appellate ruling before the Cassation Court where he renewed his not guilty plea meanwhile his lawyer argued that his client did not commit a crime.

The lawyer argued in court that the law enforcement procedures were carried out improperly against his client since the case was referred to the Naturalisation and Residency Prosecution by MOHRE and not the complainants [workers].

The lawyer further contended before the presiding judge that his client had paid the salaries and reached an amicable settlement with them but despite that the primary court convicted him.

The Cassation Court overturned the ruling and referred the case back to the Appeal Court for a fresh trial.