Abu Dhabi court orders man to repay Dh4 million in failed villa purchase dispute

Abu Dhabi: A dispute over the failed purchase of a villa has ended with Abu Dhabi’s highest court ordering a man to repay Dh4 million and Dh50,000 in compensation, after rejecting his final appeal.

The case began when a plaintiff filed a civil suit alleging he had given the defendant Dh4.7 million as part of an agreement to jointly purchase a villa in Abu Dhabi. 

According to the complaint, the defendant neither completed the transaction nor registered half the property in the plaintiff’s name, and also failed to refund the money. The plaintiff sought repayment along with Dh300,000 in damages.

During the proceedings, the trial court required the plaintiff to take a supplementary oath, which he did, before amending his claim to request Dh4 million plus 9 per cent interest from the date of filing until full payment, as well as Dh1 million in compensation for material and moral damages. 

The lower court ultimately ordered the defendant to return Dh4 million and pay Dh50,000 in compensation.

The defendant appealed to the Abu Dhabi Court of Appeal, which upheld the ruling, and then escalated the case to the Court of Cassation. 

In its final decision, the higher court dismissed the appeal, affirmed the earlier judgments, and ordered the defendant to bear legal costs, fees, and Dh1,000 in attorneys’ fees, as well as forfeiting his security deposit.