The court mandates loan payback and rejects the compensation claim. Abu Dhabi: A court in Abu Dhabi has ordered a man to pay back a female coworker Dh115,000 after finding that he neglected to pay back the remaining amount of a loan that was received from her when they were both working at the same company. Despite signing a written acknowledgement of obligation, the Abu Dhabi Family, Civil and Administrative Cases Court determined that the defendant had borrowed Dh245,000 from the claimant and only paid back a portion of the sum.
The court determined that the remaining Dh115,000 was an unpaid debt that had not been properly settled. The woman filed a civil claim, according to court documents, requesting Dh20,000 in compensation for alleged material and moral damages in addition to reimbursement of the outstanding balance. She informed the court that her coworker, the defendant, had paid back Dh130,000 after formally acknowledging the debt, but had later neglected to pay the remaining amount. The court examined the defendant’s written response and supporting documentation during the proceedings. The UAE Law of Evidence in Civil and Commercial Transactions, which states that a judicial acknowledgement is legally enforceable if given by a competent adult acting of free will, was cited by the court in its reasoning.
Additionally, the law stipulates that an acknowledgement of this kind is final evidence against the individual who made it and cannot be withdrawn. The court observed that the defendant did not contest the legitimacy of the signed recognition of debt or offer proof to refute the amount owed, despite the claimant presenting a copy of it. The court came to the conclusion that all legal requirements for pursuing the debt had been satisfied. However, the court denied the claimant’s request for Dh20,000 in compensation, concluding that there was insufficient evidence in the case file to prove the elements of responsibility, harm, and causal link necessary to grant compensation, nor to establish material or moral damage.
In the end, the court dismissed all other claims and ordered the defendant to pay the remaining Dh115,000 in addition to court costs and fees.
