The plaintiff experienced material losses, the court determined. Dubai: Following concurrent criminal and civil court verdicts, a group of con artists who stole a Porsche Cayenne after paying the seller with a bogus check have been ordered to reimburse the victim for the cost of the expensive car. When the owner put his Porsche Cayenne up for sale on an internet marketplace, the incident started. He was contacted by one of the buyers, who showed interest and met him at a car registration facility. There, the group took custody of the car and gave him a fake manager’s check for Dh575,000 before trying to send it abroad.
Emarat Al Youm claims that the victim filed a criminal complaint after realizing the check was fraudulent. The suspects were accused by Dubai Public Prosecution of fraudulently obtaining another person’s property and forging and utilizing a false document. The group—three in person and one in absentia—was found guilty by the Criminal Court and sentenced to six months in prison, a joint fine of Dh575,000, which represents the unrecovered value, and deportation. On appeal, the decision was maintained. After that, the seller initiated a civil lawsuit to recover the value of the car as well as damages for his losses. According to court records, the defendants and other fugitives used the cheque as a fraudulent tool to execute the deal by forging it to look like a legitimate bank document.
In order to assist the car’s export overseas, they promptly switched title to a third party after registering it in one defendant’s name after receiving the check. Noting that the counterfeit check, its usage, and the illegal seizure of the car constituted actionable harm under civil law, the civil court decided that the criminal judgment’s conclusions were binding. The court determined that the plaintiff had emotional distress as a result of the wrongful loss of his property, in addition to tangible losses such as deprivation of the vehicle and related legal and administrative costs.
The court mandated that the four defendants pay Dh50,000 in material and moral damages in addition to Dh575,000, the value of the stolen car. They were also mandated to pay attorney fees and court charges.
