Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Family, Civil and Administrative Court has ordered three individuals to jointly pay a man AED62,653, including AED3,500 in compensation, after they were convicted of fraudulently obtaining his money through a fake investment scheme promoted on Telegram.
The man filed a lawsuit against the three defendants, seeking the return of AED59,153, AED200,000 in compensation, AED2,000 for invoices and receipts related to the criminal case, 12% legal interest, and court fees and expenses.
He stated that the defendants had persuaded him through Telegram to invest in a trading and investment project. Believing the opportunity to be genuine, he transferred the requested amounts in three instalments to their bank accounts before discovering that the platform was fraudulent. The defendants subsequently refused to return the money.
The claimant noted that the defendants had already been convicted in a criminal case arising from the incident. Instead of imprisonment, they were fined and deported. He argued that the incident caused him both financial and emotional harm.
In its reasoning, the court stated that a final criminal judgment, whether a conviction or acquittal, is binding on civil courts regarding the occurrence of the crime, its legal characterisation and its attribution to the perpetrator.
The court found that the defendants had fraudulently obtained the claimant’s money and failed to return it, making them liable to repay the full amount. It added that depriving the claimant of his funds and forcing him to pursue legal action to recover them had caused material damage that justified compensation.
The court further noted that where multiple parties contribute to the same harm, they may be held jointly liable. As a result, it ruled that the defendants must jointly pay the claimant AED62,653 and cover the court fees and expenses. All other claims were dismissed.