Court Orders Dh1.7M Payout After Man Used ‘Disappearing Ink’ to Alter Cheque

A Dubai Civil Court has ordered an Arab man to repay Dh1.7 million to a creditor after finding that he deliberately issued a cheque altered with a special correction fluid that caused its details to disappear or change over time, making it invalid when presented to the bank.

The court also ordered the defendant to pay five per cent annual legal interest on the amount from the cheque’s due date until full settlement, along with Dh30,000 in compensation for the material and moral damages suffered by the claimant during years of legal proceedings.

The civil judgment followed a final criminal conviction against the defendant for intentionally issuing the manipulated cheque. Criminal courts had sentenced him to one year in prison and imposed a fine. The conviction was upheld on appeal and became final after no further challenge was filed before the Court of Cassation.

According to court records, the dispute arose after the claimant handed over Dh1.7 million to the defendant and received a cheque as security for repayment.

At the time of issuance, the cheque appeared to contain all required details. However, when the claimant presented it to the bank on the due date, payment was refused after the bank discovered that the cheque information had been altered. Investigations revealed that the cheque had been written using a special correction fluid designed to modify or erase written details over time, rendering the document invalid.

The claimant then filed a criminal complaint, alleging that the cheque had been prepared using a deceptive method intended to prevent it from being honoured.

In its judgment, the Civil Court noted that a final criminal judgment is binding on civil courts regarding the occurrence of the offence, its legal classification and the responsibility of the accused.

The court held that the criminal judgment had conclusively established that the defendant intentionally used a deceptive method to prevent the cheque from being cashed, forming the legal basis for the claimant’s financial claim.

The court further ruled that the defendant had obtained an unjust financial benefit at the claimant’s expense without legal justification, while the claimant had been deprived of Dh1.7 million for several years and forced to pursue lengthy criminal and civil proceedings to recover the money.

The court found that the prolonged dispute caused both financial losses and emotional distress to the claimant, justifying additional compensation.

Along with ordering repayment of the full cheque amount, legal interest and Dh30,000 in damages, the court also directed the defendant to pay court fees, expenses and legal costs.