Dubai car rental owner loses business to dud cheque

A man cheated the owner of a car-rental shop out of his business by writing a Dh1 million cheque that bounced while he sold the company fleet, court hears.

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DUBAI // A man cheated the owner of a car-rental shop out of his business by writing a Dh1 million cheque that bounced while he sold the company fleet, a court has heard.

The Iraqi owner DA, 35, told the Dubai Misdemeanours Court he posted an advertisement in a newspaper, looking for a buyer for his business.

He said KE, 23, an Emirati, saw the ad and visited the company in Mutainah Street, Deira, on June 11 last year. The business owner said the Emirati claimed to be an engineer with a monthly salary of Dh90,000, working for Qatar Petroleum.

The owner said he was offered Dh250,000 for the premises and more than Dh850,000 for the fleet of 27 cars and other materials.

The would-be buyer then wrote him a cheque for Dh1,116,000.

"When I went to the bank to cash the cheque it bounced, then the bank told me that there were similar complaints against the defendant," the owner said.

He said that by the time he knew the cheque had bounced the Emirati had sold the fleet of cars.

The Emirati denied charges of fraudulently taking the cars. He claimed he signed the cheque and handed it to the shop owner, post-dating it by two days.

He said he paid the amount as soon as he had the funds available and had the receipt to prove it.

"I have a settlement in this regard," he told prosecutors.

But he was accused of forging the receipt, which he also denied.

The court ordered that the receipt be examined to check its authenticity.

The next hearing was scheduled for tomorrow.