The UAE’s Eastern Region Court of Appeal has upheld a Court of First Instance ruling ordering a man to pay a woman about AED 1.09 million. The financial dispute arose from a relationship involving a promise of marriage, during which the woman took out two bank loans at the man’s request and provided him with additional funds. However, he later stopped paying the instalments and repaying the debts.

Under the ruling, the man must pay AED 989,968 in outstanding debt and AED 100,000 in compensation for the harm suffered by the woman. Legal interest will also apply to the amounts under the terms specified in the judgment.

WhatsApp messages exchanged between the two parties were among the evidence considered in the case. An expert report found that the messages contained admissions by the man that he had received money from the woman. The Court of Appeal also rejected his claim that he bore no responsibility for the loans.

Financial dispute began during relationship involving promise of marriage

According to a report by the court-appointed panel of experts, the financial dispute arose from a personal relationship involving a promise of marriage, although no contract had been concluded between the parties.

During the relationship, the man initially asked the woman for a loan and later persuaded her to take out two bank loans in her name for his use. He promised to pay the monthly instalments and return the money he had received.

According to the case documents, the woman claimed that she transferred a total of AED 341,010 to the man’s account and subsequently took out two bank loans at his request.

The first loan was for AED 601,000. With bank interest of AED 94,828, the total amount repayable reached AED 695,828. Repayment was scheduled over 48 monthly instalments from July 2023 to June 2027.

The second loan was for AED 46,450. With bank interest of AED 7,332, the total amount repayable was about AED 53,782. Its instalments were also scheduled over 48 months, from October 2023 to September 2027.

Man stops paying instalments, prompting lawsuit

In her lawsuit, the woman said the man had undertaken to pay the bank instalments and had acknowledged his debts in WhatsApp conversations.

According to the conversations submitted to the court, the man asked questions about the details of the debt and acknowledged its existence without objection.

However, the woman said he fulfilled his obligations only for a limited period. After paying about AED 100,000, he stopped paying the instalments and failed to repay the remaining amounts.

The woman said she had to continue repaying the loans from her personal funds to avoid missed payments and their financial and legal consequences.

She stressed that she had taken out the loans at the man’s request and for his use.

After the man failed to meet his obligations, the woman filed a civil lawsuit seeking AED 1,044,170, along with AED 100,000 in compensation for material and moral damages.

She also requested annual legal interest of 12 per cent on the claimed amount from the date the lawsuit was filed until full payment.

WhatsApp messages and bank transactions examined

During the proceedings, the court received evidence including applications for banking facilities, money transfer records and WhatsApp conversations concerning the sums received by the man and the parties’ financial obligations.

The court appointed a panel comprising an accounting expert and a banking expert to examine the documents and determine the nature of the parties’ financial dealings and the amount owed.

After reviewing the evidence, the experts concluded that the parties had been in a personal relationship involving a promise of marriage and had not entered into a contract.

However, the expert report found that the man had admitted in WhatsApp messages to borrowing the equivalent of AED 981,509 from the woman.

A review of the bank transactions also showed that the woman transferred AED 306,000 to the man’s account, while he transferred AED 93,702 to hers.

The experts also confirmed that the woman had taken out two bank loans of AED 601,000 and AED 46,450.

After reviewing the evidence and calculating the amounts paid and received, the expert panel determined that the man owed the woman AED 989,968.

The AED 306,000 transferred from the woman’s account to the man was not added separately to the final calculation because the transfer had been made before the date of the WhatsApp message on which the experts relied to determine the financial obligations.

Court of First Instance orders payment of debt and compensation

In May 2026, the Court of First Instance relied on the expert report and other evidence in the case to order the man to pay the woman AED 989,968.

The ruling also imposed legal interest of 5 per cent on the amount awarded, calculated from February 19, 2026, when the lawsuit was filed.

The court further ordered the man to pay AED 100,000 in compensation, with legal interest on that amount to be calculated from the date the judgment becomes final.

In addition, the woman was awarded AED 1,000 in legal fees, while her remaining claims were rejected.

Man appeals Court of First Instance ruling

The man appealed the Court of First Instance ruling, seeking to have the judgment overturned and the woman’s lawsuit dismissed.

He claimed that the lower court had relied on a flawed expert report without adequately examining his objections.

He also argued that there was no evidence showing that he had asked the woman to take out the two bank loans for his benefit or that he had received the proceeds.

According to the man, the case documents showed that the woman had obtained the bank facilities in her own name for personal use. He said the WhatsApp messages also indicated that the loans belonged to her and that his role was limited to helping her pay the instalments.

He also challenged the compensation award, arguing that neither his receipt of the loan proceeds nor any harm warranting compensation had been proven.

Woman seeks additional AED 306,000 in counter-appeal

The woman filed a counter-appeal seeking to add AED 306,000 to the amount the man had been ordered to pay.

She said the amount had been transferred from her bank account to the man’s account and that he had previously admitted borrowing money from her without providing evidence that it had been repaid.

After reviewing both appeals, the Court of Appeal found that the original judgment was based on sufficient legal and factual grounds.

The court stressed that the man’s objections had already been examined by the Court of First Instance and that he had presented nothing capable of changing the outcome.

The Court of Appeal therefore found that the original ruling was legally sound, properly reasoned and supported by evidence, and rejected the man’s appeal.

The woman’s counter-appeal seeking the additional AED 306,000 was also rejected because the court found that the evidence submitted was insufficient to alter the lower court’s conclusion regarding that amount.

Man’s financial liability upheld

The Court of Appeal ultimately rejected both appeals and upheld the Court of First Instance ruling.

Each party was also ordered to pay the costs and expenses of their respective appeal, while the security deposits for both appeals were forfeited.

The man must therefore pay the woman a total of AED 1,089,968 in debt and compensation, along with the applicable legal interest and awarded legal fees.

WhatsApp messages, bank transactions and the expert panel’s report were among the key pieces of evidence used by the court to determine the parties’ financial obligations.