Abu Dhabi court orders man to repay Dh330,000 after WhatsApp messages confirm unpaid loan

Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Family, Civil and Administrative Cases Court  in has ordered a man to pay Dh330,000 to a woman who had lent him the money as a personal loan, along with an additional Dh20,000 in compensation, after finding that he repeatedly stalled repayment, Al Khaleej newspaper reported.

The ruling came after the court reviewed WhatsApp conversations between the two and administered a decisive oath to settle the dispute.

According to case filings, the woman filed a lawsuit demanding that the defendant return the Dh330,000 she had loaned him and Dh50,000 in compensation for the financial and emotional harm caused by the delayed repayment. 

She also requested 9 per cent annual interest from the date of filing until full settlement, as well as legal fees.

The plaintiff argued that she had provided the defendant with the loan, in addition to another Dh30,000, but he failed to repay any portion of the amount and continued to delay despite repeated requests. With negotiations stalled, she proceeded with legal action.

The court noted that the plaintiff’s claim was supported by digital correspondence showing the financial agreement, and that the defendant, despite attending hearings, did not provide any evidence disproving the debt or establishing that he had repaid it. 

After administering the complementary oath, the court concluded that the defendant was indeed indebted to the plaintiff for the full loan amount.

In its judgment, the court ordered the man to repay the Dh330,000 and awarded the plaintiff Dh20,000 in compensation for the material and moral damages resulting from his delay, in addition to court fees and legal costs.