People with bounced cheques worth less than Dh200,000 in Dubai can pay their fines on their smartphones without having to go to police station, an official said on Monday. The new prosecution service was announced during Gitex Technology Week in Dubai on Monday, with people being able to avail the facility from October 13.
Fatima Ahmad Bin Haider, IT director at Dubai Public Prosecution, told Gulf News, that a link will be sent to the mobile phone of the person to proceed online and complete the formalities, eliminating the need to see a prosecution representative.
Face recognition, Emirates ID
Once the bounced cheque suspect clicks on the link, a window will open and scan his picture using face recognition and his Emirates ID to proceed with the legal order.
“We used Artificial Intelligence and face recognition to identify the suspect to start the investigation. The suspect can either download the case announcement or go physically to prosecution or pay the fine on the same window and complete the formalities without presenting himself physically for the legal order,” Bin Haider said.
According to the Legal Order Law No 1 of 2017 which came into effect in December 2017, people with bounced cheques worth less than Dh200,000 can be punished by prosecution without the case being referred to court, against a maximum fine of Dh10,000.
“The new service will cut time and effort for people with bounced cheques of less than Dh200,000. In the past, people had to visit the prosecution to pay the fine. With this technology, they can get the legal order and pay their fines with a few clicks on their mobile phones,” Bin Haider added.
Residents can also object to the legal order fine by clicking on link in the window and uploading the necessary documents.
However, while payment of the fine may settle the criminal case, the civil liability remains and the victim can pursue the civil case in court.
Improve speed in legal orders
According to Dubai Public Prosecution, the Penal Order legislation has further improved the working processes of the Dubai Public Prosecution, enabling it to settle 30,618 cases between November 2017 and the end of 2018.
Dubai’s Attorney-General Essam Eisa Al Humaidan said bounced cheques of up to Dh200,000 represented the highest percentage of cases settled by the Penal Order legislation with 26,765 cases or 87 percent of total cases, while refusal of payment cases represented three percent (951) of the cases.
Fines for bounced cheques
- Bounced cheques worth Dh1 to Dh50,000: Dh2,000
- Bounced cheques worth Dh50,000 to Dh100,000: Dh5,000 B
- ounced cheques worth Dh100,000 to Dh200,000: Dh10,000
© Copyright Gulf News
