Court Orders Woman to Return Dh100,000 Mistakenly Transferred to Her Account

The Dubai Civil Court has ordered a woman to return Dh100,000 that was mistakenly transferred to her bank account, along with legal interest of 5% per annum from the date of the judicial claim until the amount is fully paid.

 

The case arose after an Asian national accidentally transferred the money to the woman's account while making a deposit through an ATM in January 2025. He had entered the wrong beneficiary account number, resulting in the Dh100,000 being credited to the woman's account.

 

According to the case documents, the man contacted the account holder after discovering the error. She acknowledged that the money had been transferred to her account and explained that she was outside the UAE and that her bank account had been blocked.

 

She subsequently informed him that she had contacted the bank and submitted a request for the amount to be returned to its rightful owner. However, the money was not transferred back, prompting the man to file a lawsuit before the Dubai Civil Court seeking recovery of the Dh100,000.

 

The court appointed an expert to examine the circumstances of the transaction. The expert's report confirmed that the plaintiff had deposited Dh100,000 into the woman's account by mistake.

 

The court also found that the woman had taken steps to authorise the return of the money. In February 2025, she issued an authorisation to the bank requesting that the amount be transferred to the plaintiff. In July 2025, she also submitted a telegraphic transfer request for the return of the funds. However, the amount was ultimately not returned.

 

The court held that the woman remained liable for the disputed amount because the documents before it contained no evidence that the Dh100,000 had been repaid.

 

The court further noted that the woman had failed to attend the hearings to present a defence or dispute the plaintiff's entitlement to the money. It affirmed the legal principle that a person who comes into possession of another person's money is required to return it.

 

Accordingly, the Dubai Civil Court ordered the woman to pay the plaintiff Dh100,000, together with legal interest at 5% per annum from the date of the judicial claim until full payment. She was also ordered to pay the court fees, expenses and attorney's fees.

 

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