Can I be extradited to UAE over unpaid credit card debt?
q I was deported from the UAE five years ago, leaving me unable to pay my credit card dues. Recently, the UAE bank I owe money to called asking for the outstanding amount. I am settled now in India and I don’t think I can afford to pay this. Could I be extradited to the UAE for not paying?
a If when you opened your credit card account you signed a blank cheque to the bank as a guarantee, then the bank can file a case against you with the police for issuing a cheque that bounced. If that case is in line with the terms of Interpol, the bank has the right to ask prosecutors to send your details to the international police organisation and issue a warrant for your arrest, which could be executed anywhere in the world. If you did not sign a blank cheque, then the bank can only file a civil case against you in the UAE and only after a final ruling. An order for your arrest can be made by the judge, although this could still be issued through Interpol, meaning you are still liable for arrest.
A former member of my staff is continuously abusing me from India on WhatsApp. I have warned him many times but he continues to abuse and threaten to beat me up next time he is back in the UAE. He is doing it because he’s overseas and can. What does the law say about it? Can I report him to police?
Issuing threats is a criminal offence in the UAE and you would be entitled to visit a police station and lodge a com- plaint against him, providing all evidence you have to police. You should also give police the man’s contact number so they can summon him once he enters the country. If a case is outstanding against him as he enters the UAE, he will be arrested and charged with issuing insults and threats, and he will be referred to the criminal court. If convicted, he may face prison and deportation. Yousef Al Bahar is an advocate at Al Bahar and Associates Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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