Guide · updated 16.10.2026 · 10 min read · Lucent Legal team

Someone filed a police case against you in the UAE: what to do if it's false

Most people find out from a call from a police station, an SMS about a case, or a travel ban at the airport. A complaint is not a charge: the police and the prosecution review it and can close it. Your job is to learn exactly what you are accused of and bring evidence to the questioning.

Step 1. Find out what the case is and where it sits

Start with the stage: police, prosecution or court. The stage tells you where to send your statement and who decides what happens to the complaint.

• Dubai. "Criminal Status of Financial Cases" on dubaipolice.gov.ae or in the Dubai Police app. You log in with your Emirates ID and an SMS code. It mostly shows Dubai financial cases.
• Abu Dhabi. Estafser from ADJD, with UAE Pass login.
• No Emirates ID, or you need every case on record: follow the steps in how to check Dubai Police case status.

Write down the case number and the charge. A lawyer needs both to request the file, and you need them to know what you are defending against.

Step 2. Answer the summons, with the file in your hands

Do not ignore a summons from the police or the prosecution. Article 100 lets the prosecutor issue an arrest warrant if you fail to appear without an acceptable excuse. The warrant runs across the whole country for six months, and the prosecutor can extend it (Article 101).

Before the questioning:

1. Ask whether they are calling you as a witness or as the accused.
2. Write a short timeline: dates, amounts, who said or wrote what.
3. Bring copies of your evidence and keep the originals.
4. If you don't read Arabic, ask for an interpreter. You have that right at every stage.

Answer with facts and don't guess. Don't sign an Arabic statement until someone has translated all of it for you. You don't have to answer questions before your lawyer arrives; our guide on what to do if you're arrested in the UAE covers your rights in detail.

Step 3. Collect evidence before it disappears

You beat a false complaint with documents. Telling the prosecutor "he's lying" gets you nowhere. A chat export and a witness statement do.

• Messages. Keep every chat, even the ugly ones. Take screenshots that show the date and the number, and export the full chat. A deleted message looks worse than a rude one.
• Money. Bank statements, transfers, receipts, contracts, invoices. In "fraud" disputes these carry the most weight.
• Witnesses. Names, phone numbers and what each person saw. The prosecutor can call them in, but you have to name them.
• CCTV. Buildings, offices and malls keep footage for a short time. Ask the property manager in writing to save it now.
• Location records. If someone claims they saw you somewhere you weren't, use tickets, receipts, taxi trips and app check-ins.

Attach a short written note to everything you hand over. A document with no explanation of what it proves gets lost in the file.

Step 4. Don't pressure the complainant

You will want to call and demand they drop it. Don't. Threats or insults in reply become a new case, this time against you. One harsh WhatsApp message can do it: online slander and insult carry a fine of AED 250,000 to 500,000 (see UAE defamation law).

Run any settlement talks through a lawyer, or in writing with no threats. A settlement counts only when the prosecution or the court records it. A private receipt between the two of you does not close the case.

Step 5. Push for the case to close

If the evidence against you doesn't hold, the prosecution can drop the case without sending it to court (Articles 118 and 119). The victim also receives the dismissal decision. In misdemeanor cases the Attorney General can revoke a dismissal within 3 months.

Withdrawal is the second route, and for some charges it ends the case outright:

• Insult and slander, theft or fraud between spouses and close relatives, and unpaid alimony start only on the victim's complaint (Article 11). The victim has 3 months from learning of the crime and the offender to file.
• In these cases the victim can withdraw at any time before a final judgment, and the proceedings end (Article 17). If the withdrawal comes after the judgment, the prosecution stops the sentence.
• For other charges, only formal reconciliation (sulh) under Article 349 works, and only for a set list of offences. Our guide on closing a criminal case in the UAE explains what qualifies.

Step 6. Lift the travel ban separately

The prosecutor can ban you from travel during the investigation, and the order goes to every port of entry (Article 99). Closing the case does not lift the ban by itself. Check it separately and apply to remove it if it's still there; see how to remove a UAE travel ban.

Leaving the country while the case is open is risky. The arrest warrant covers every emirate, and a missed summons looks like you ran.

Counter-complaint: when it makes sense

UAE law punishes false reporting under two articles:

• Article 324: you told the authorities about a crime you knew never happened. Up to 6 months and/or a fine.
• Article 325: you told the authorities, falsely and in bad faith, that a specific person committed a crime. It's punishable even if no case was ever opened. If the false accusation was of a felony, the court imposes both jail and a fine. If the false report led to a felony sentence, the false reporter gets the same sentence.

Both articles turn on knowledge and bad faith. Your acquittal or a closed case does not prove the complainant lied on purpose. They may have been mistaken. File a counter-complaint when you can show intent: messages where they threaten to "put you in jail", a story that contradicts the documents, witnesses.

You file it like any complaint: "File Criminal Complaint" in the Dubai Police app or on the website, or in person at a station. Timing matters. Filed in the middle of the investigation, it reads as revenge; filed after the prosecution drops your case, it carries weight. Agree the timing and wording with your lawyer.

When you need a lawyer

You can check the case, collect documents and give your statement on your own. Bring in a lawyer when you are summoned as the accused, when a travel ban is in place, or when the case involves money, drugs or violence. The lawyer requests the file, sits in on questioning and runs settlement talks.

Lucent Legal is a management consultancy (DET licence No. 1192929). We review your situation, check the case, plan the defence and prepare documents. At the prosecution and in court, a UAE-licensed advocate we work with represents you. No one can promise the outcome, including us. For the rest of the topic, see UAE criminal law.

Topic: UAE Criminal Law 2026

Get a lawyer's help: Criminal lawyer

This material is for information only and is not legal advice. UAE law changes — a lawyer will assess how it applies to your situation.