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Dubai court orders man to repay Dh1.7 million after using ‘disappearing’ ink on cheque
According to court records, the dispute began when the claimant handed the defendant Dh1.7 million and received a cheque as security for the payment
- PUBLISHED: Sat 25 Jul 2026, 11:04 PM UPDATED: Sun 26 Jul 2026, 7:44 AM
A Dubai Civil Court has ordered an Arab man to repay Dh1.7 million and compensate a creditor after ruling that he deliberately issued a cheque using a special correction fluid that caused its details to change over time, rendering it invalid when presented to the bank.
The court ordered the defendant to repay the full cheque amount, pay annual legal interest of five per cent from the cheque’s due date until full settlement, and compensate the claimant with Dh30,000 for the material and moral damages he suffered during a legal battle that stretched over several years.
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The civil ruling came after the defendant was convicted by the criminal courts of intentionally issuing the manipulated cheque. He was sentenced to one year in prison and fined, with the conviction later upheld on appeal and becoming final after no further challenge was filed before the Court of Cassation.
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Bank refuses cheque
According to court records, the dispute began when the claimant handed the defendant Dh1.7 million and received a cheque as security for the payment.
The cheque appeared to contain all the required details when it was issued. However, when the claimant presented it to the bank on the due date, the bank refused to honour it after discovering that its details had been altered because it had been written using a special correction fluid designed to change or disappear over time, stripping the cheque of its validity.
The claimant subsequently filed a criminal complaint, alleging that the cheque had been deliberately prepared using a deceptive method to prevent it from being cashed.
Criminal findings binding on civil court
In its judgment, the Civil Court said final criminal judgments are binding on civil courts regarding the occurrence of the offence, its legal classification and the defendant’s responsibility.
The court found that the criminal judgment had conclusively established that the defendant intentionally used the deceptive method to prevent the cheque from being honoured, forming the basis of the claimant’s financial claim.
It further ruled that the defendant had unjustly enriched himself at the claimant’s expense without legal justification, while the claimant had been deprived of Dh1.7 million for years and forced to pursue lengthy criminal and civil proceedings to recover his money.
The court said the prolonged litigation had caused the claimant both financial loss and emotional distress, warranting compensation. In addition to ordering repayment of the full amount and legal interest, it awarded Dh30,000 in damages, along with court fees, expenses and legal costs.