• Fingerprint settles financial dispute between man and his ex-wife in UAE after criminal identification confirmed
• court orders full repayment with annual interest and legal fees

A single fingerprint has resolved a prolonged financial dispute between a man and his ex-wife in a UAE court, after forensic reports confirmed that the print on a Dh200,000 (approx. $54,500) debt acknowledgment belonged to the defendant, according to local media.

The court ruled that he must repay the full amount, in addition to 9% simple annual interest from the date the civil claim was filed until full settlement.

Case documents showed that the woman had lent her former husband the money during their marriage under a signed and fingerprint-stamped debt acknowledgment, confirming he received it as a loan and agreed to repay it on demand.

Initially, the plaintiff filed her claim in the Personal Status Court, but the defendant questioned the authenticity of the document. A forensic laboratory later verified that the fingerprint on the paper matched his.

The dispute began in the Personal Status Court, which ruled in favor of the ex-wife, and the Court of Appeal upheld the decision. It was later annulled for procedural reasons, as these courts lack jurisdiction over civil debt cases.

The woman subsequently refiled the case in the competent civil court. Court records indicate a legal notice demanding repayment was issued, and the parties were referred to mediation without success.

During the hearings, the defendant’s lawyer requested dismissal and submitted unrelated documents, including a 2009 judgment, while the plaintiff maintained her claim through her representative.

The court explained that a written or fingerprint-sealed debt acknowledgment is valid and binding unless disproved by stronger evidence. Since the forensic report conclusively attributed the fingerprint to the defendant, the court confirmed he had received the Dh200,000 as a loan and was obligated to repay it.

Consequently, the court ordered full repayment, plus 9% annual compensatory interest under Federal Decree-Law No. 50 of 2022, in addition to covering court fees, expenses, and Dh200 in legal costs.