UAE: What to do if an employee leaves without clearing petty cash or traffic fines

Question: I am a company owner. One month ago, I terminated an employee but I discovered that he didn’t return the petty cash amounting to Dh10,000 and there were some car fines on the car of the company he was driving during his work amounting to Dh7,500.

I filed a complaint before the Ministry to recover these amounts from the employee. Two days ago, the Ministry rejected my claim. My question: What should I do now to get such amounts? Please advise.

Answer: When the Ministry renders its decision or judgment which is not satisfactory, you will still have the right to file the case before the competent Court of First Instance within fifteen (15) working days following notification of the decision, knowing that the decision of the First Instance Court shall be final because the value of the claim is not more than Dh50,000.

According to Article 54 of the Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 the Ministry will render a final judgment on any dispute submitted to it if the value of the claim is not more than fifty thousand (50,000) UAE dirhams (Dh) or if neither party complies with an amicable settlement decision relating to the subject matter, regardless of the value of the claim. The Ministry has the authority to resolve the dispute, and the decision shall be annotated with execution in accordance with customary practice.

If the decision is not satisfactory to either party, either party may file a lawsuit before the relevant Court of Appeal for a review of the decision within fifteen (15) working days following notification of the decision. Upon filing, the Court will schedule a hearing to consider the case within three (3) working days, and the case will be adjudicated within fifteen (15) working days. The decision of the Court of Appeal shall constitute a final verdict, and an appeal will suspend the implementation of the decision. If an appeal is filed, the execution of the decision described above will be suspended.