“Source: Al Emarat Al Youm – Abu Dhabi Court”
Abu Dhabi Court Orders Inmate to Pay AED 15,000 Compensation for Stealing and Damaging a Boat
The Abu Dhabi Court of Family and Civil and Administrative Cases has ordered an inmate in a correctional facility to pay AED 15,000 in compensation to a man after it was proven that he had stolen, used, and damaged a boat belonging to the plaintiff.
According to details of the case, the defendant had previously been convicted in the related criminal case and was sentenced to two years in prison for theft and damage. The civil court relied on this criminal conviction in its ruling, considering it definitive proof of the defendant’s wrongdoing.
In the civil case, the plaintiff sought compensation for both material and moral damages resulting from the theft of the boat, requesting AED 100,000, in addition to legal fees, court costs, and attorney fees, with an urgent enforcement of the judgment. The plaintiff explained that the material damages included the decreased market value of the boat, lost benefits, and transportation costs, while the moral damages reflected his feelings of grief and distress over the loss of the boat.
During the hearings, the defendant appeared through the correctional institution and stated that his prison term would end in September. He requested a delay until his release and return to work to enable him to settle the compensation amount with the plaintiff, noting that he currently had no funds.
The court clarified in its ruling that the defendant did not request to suspend the case and had not filed any appeal against the criminal conviction, which gave the criminal judgment full legal effect in the civil court. Accordingly, the legal element of fault on the part of the defendant was definitively established.
Regarding compensation, the court ruled that the moral damages resulting from the defendant’s actions were eligible for compensation, while it rejected the material damages due to lack of sufficient evidence of financial loss. Therefore, the court ordered the defendant to pay AED 15,000 in compensation for moral damages, in addition to covering court fees and expenses, while dismissing the remainder of the plaintiff’s claims for financial compensation or any other demands.