A ten-year debt is ordered to be repaid after the employee wins the case. Dubai: Despite repeated assurances to clear the debt, a Dubai court has ordered a former boss to repay a $20,000 loan he took from an employee over ten years ago. The civil misdemeanors court’s ruling mandated that the defendant restore Dh73,460, the loan’s worth in UAE dirhams, plus five percent lawful interest from the moment the payment was due until complete settlement. Additionally, the court mandated that he pay court fees and other expenses.
The case began in 2012 when the manager asked one of his staff members for a personal loan based on their mutual confidence. Two checks were used to transfer the funds, and the manager pledged in writing to pay them back within the same year. The refund never happened, according to the newspaper. The employee filed a civil case to get the loan reimbursed after she was unable to get the money back after numerous unofficial requests over the years.
There were multiple procedural steps in the proceedings. The case was dismissed on jurisdictional grounds in the first ruling, but the appellate court reversed that decision and affirmed Dubai courts’ jurisdiction to hear the dispute. After that, the matter was returned to the court of first instance so that its merits might be examined. After examining the evidence, the court concluded that the loan had been proven, that the defendant had acknowledged receiving the money, and that the defendant had made a written commitment to pay it back.
According to the court, the defendant did not contest the authenticity of the supplied documents, which included copies of the checks and bank statements, or offer any evidence that the debt had been paid off. The court concluded that the defendant’s financial liability persisted because he did not appear at hearings or present a defense. A protracted disagreement between the employer and employee was resolved when the court determined that the debt was still owing in full and ordered repayment of the principal sum converted into dirhams together with interest and legal fees.
