An Abu Dhabi court has ordered a woman to pay Dh60,000 after she withdrew from a planned marriage and refused to return cash and gold bars she had received from her former suitor.

According to court documents, the man gave the woman cash and gold bars after they agreed to marry. He said the items had a total value of Dh67,827.

After the woman decided not to proceed with the marriage, the man asked her to return the money and gold. She acknowledged the debt but refused to repay it, prompting him to take legal action.

In his lawsuit, the man sought the return of all the cash and gold bars. He also requested that the woman pay him Dh31,500, representing the value of the gold, if the bars could not be returned.

To support his claim, he submitted bank transfer records and a written acknowledgement signed by both parties.

Agreement to Pay Dh60,000

During the proceedings, the two parties told the court they had agreed to settle the dispute through a payment of Dh60,000 in two instalments and asked for the agreement to be formally recorded.

However, only the man attended when the court conducted its final review of the settlement. He said the woman had refused to attend the hearing or sign the final agreement.

After reviewing the evidence, the court found that the woman had previously acknowledged in writing that she had received Dh17,300 in cash and two one-ounce gold bars.

The woman also appeared in court and did not challenge the authenticity or content of the document. She proposed settling the dispute by paying Dh60,000, an offer the man accepted.

However, no evidence was submitted to the court showing that the agreed amount had been paid.

The court ultimately upheld the legal validity of the written acknowledgement and, noting that the debt remained unpaid, ordered the woman to pay her former suitor Dh60,000, along with court fees and legal costs.