Fines For Bounced Cheques In Dubai Can Be Paid By Smartphone

Fines for bounced cheques worth less than AED200,000 ($54,000) can be paid through smartphones.

According to a report in Gulf News, there is no longer a need to attend a police station to pay the fine. Instead, a link will be sent to the offending person’s mobile phone and they can complete the process online.

From October 13, once the link is clicked, a window will open and scan the offending person’s picture using face recognition and their Emirates ID to continue with the legal order.

Fatima Ahmad Bin Haider, IT director at Dubai Public Prosecution, is quoted by Gulf News as saying: “We used Artificial Intelligence and face recognition to identify the suspect to start the investigation. The suspect can either download the case announcement or go physically to prosecution, or pay the fine on the same window and complete the formalities without presenting himself physically for the legal order.”

Since December 2017, people who present bounced cheques worth less than AED200,000 can be punished without the case being referred to court, with a maximum fine ofAED10,000.

The report said that bounced cheques of up to AED200,000 represented the highest percentage of cases settled by the Penal Order legislation with 26,765 cases or 87 percent of total cases – refusal of payment cases represented 3 percent (951) of the cases, between November 2017 and the end of 2018.

Residents can object to the legal order fine by clicking on link in the window and uploading the necessary documents.

However, while payment of the fine may settle the criminal case, the civil liability remains and the victim can pursue the civil case in court.