Four men have been ordered by an Abu Dhabi court to jointly pay Dh1.3 million in compensation to a man whose luxury vehicles they stole using forged documents. The ruling from the Abu Dhabi Civil, Family and Administrative Court addresses the financial and moral damages suffered by the victim in the complex fraud case.
Details of the Forgery Scheme
According to court records, the four defendants collaborated to illegally transfer ownership of several high-value vehicles worth a total of Dh4.5 million. They falsified official documents to seize the plaintiff’s assets, with assistance from another employee who was later described as having acted in good faith.
Following an investigation, authorities successfully recovered two of the stolen cars. However, a third vehicle, valued at Dh1.1 million, remains missing. The civil court’s compensation order aims to cover the losses incurred by the victim, including the value of the unrecovered car and other damages.
Criminal Conviction and Sentencing
Prior to the civil case, the men were prosecuted in the Abu Dhabi Criminal Court for the theft. Such offences carry significant penalties, similar to another recent case where a woman was ordered to pay Dh15,000 after stealing a gold necklace. The court initially sentenced each of the four men to five years in prison, a Dh150,000 fine, and deportation upon completion of their sentences.
One of the convicted men later challenged the verdict. The appeals court upheld his conviction for misappropriation but decided to reduce his prison term to one year and cancelled the associated fine.
Civil Court Compensation Ruling
The final legal chapter concluded in the civil court, which focused on restitution for the victim. The court ordered the four defendants to be jointly liable for the Dh1.3 million payment. This ruling follows other significant civil awards in the UAE, including a case where a patient was awarded Dh1 million after hospital negligence.
The judgment underscores the legal system’s two-pronged approach to such crimes, imposing criminal penalties like imprisonment and deportation while also ensuring victims receive financial compensation for their losses.
