Court clears Arab businessman of charge

A businessman has been acquitted of issuing a Dh5 million dud cheque to an Abu Dhabi firm.

Official court documents stated that the Arab had given out the cheque to representatives of the company in the capital after he signed against it.

And when the company employees deposited the cheque to the bank so it could be cashed, it was rejected because it lacked the required signatures.

Bank officials told the firm that the cheque was for a joint account and that two persons were supposed to sign against it in order to be cleared. It wasn't clear in court documents whether there was even sufficient balance in the bank defendant's bank account.

The company management filed a complaint to authorities accusing the man of issuing them a dud cheque.

Prosecutors charged the businessman with giving out a dud cheque to the company. Officers said the man was aware that the cheque won't be cashed because it lacked the necessary authorized signatures.

The man denied the charge throughout his trial at the Abu Dhabi Criminal Court of First Instance.

His defense lawyer Ali Al-Abadi argued that his client didn't commit any crime and that his only mistake was that he forget to get the signature of the second person authorized to write on the check-which is itself not a crime. "And besides, there is no evidence to prove that my client had no right to issue out a cheque for the said bank account," said Al Abadi.

He noted that the bank would have advised the company management to take back the cheque to his client so it could be signed by the second signatory instead of pressing charges against him.

The lawyer also asked court to acquit his client of the charge.  

And after hearing the Arab man's defense, court decided to clear him when it confirmed that there was no criminal intent in the case and that the cheque had not bounced, but rather an incomplete one which only needed a second signature so it could be endorsed.

Source: Khaleej Times