Ex-Employee Ordered to Repay Dh42,000 for Embezzling Company Funds

An Abu Dhabi court has ordered a former employee to pay her previous employer Dh42,000 in compensation after she was found to have embezzled Dh36,900 in company funds entrusted to her under a power of attorney.

The court ruled that fault had been conclusively established and that the defendant’s misconduct directly caused financial harm to the plaintiff company.

According to court documents, the company filed a civil lawsuit seeking Dh130,000 in compensation for material, moral, and emotional damages, in addition to the misappropriated amount, legal interest, fees, and costs.

The plaintiff stated that the defendant had worked for the company and embezzled a total of Dh86,000, for which she had already been convicted in a separate criminal case. That judgment was upheld on appeal and has become final. The defendant did not attend the civil proceedings despite receiving proper notification.

In its reasoning, the civil court noted that the company had previously filed a criminal complaint accusing the employee of embezzling Dh86,200 belonging to a one-person limited liability company -- funds that had been under her control as an agent. The criminal court convicted her, and the ruling was confirmed by the Court of Appeal.

Because the criminal judgment had reached finality, the civil court said it was bound by its findings on the question of fault and could not reassess liability. It therefore accepted that wrongdoing had been proven beyond doubt and that the defendant’s actions had caused measurable harm to her employer.

Compensation Adjusted to Dh42,000

Although the plaintiff sought Dh130,000 to cover material and moral damages, the court determined that the proven amount embezzled was Dh36,900, as confirmed by the appellate ruling and an expert report submitted by the plaintiff.

For any enquiries please fill out this form, or contact info@thelawreporters.com and  Follow  The Law Reporters on WhatsApp Channels