The record
Statements are difficult to walk back once entered. Understand the allegation before responding to it, and never sign a document you cannot read without translation.
Criminal defence & investigations
Criminal defence
when hours matter.
A complaint, a summons or a detention changes everything about a person's week. The first hours decide how much of the damage is recoverable — and most of it is done before anyone thinks to call a lawyer.
What this covers
From the first complaint
to the final appeal.
Advice at every stage of a UAE criminal matter, with court representation coordinated through locally licensed advocates where required.
Criminal matters in the UAE move quickly and largely on paper. A complaint is registered, statements are taken, the file is referred to the Public Prosecution, and decisions are made on the strength of what is already recorded. By the time most people seek advice, the account that will follow them through the case has usually already been given.
The work here is to intervene early and precisely: to establish exactly what is alleged, what evidence actually exists, and what the realistic exposure is — before anyone signs, explains or concedes anything. Where the allegation is financial or technological, that usually means reconstructing a documentary trail rather than arguing about intentions.
Representation before the UAE criminal courts is carried out with locally licensed advocates. My role is the strategy, the preparation and the direct line to you: understanding the file, shaping the defence, preparing the evidence, and making sure nothing procedural is missed while attention is on the substance.
Police & prosecution
Cybercrime
Financial allegations
Bail & travel bans
Trial
Appeal
When people call
The calls that
come first.
These are the situations where advice in the first hours changes the outcome most.
01
Detention or questioning
Someone has been held or called in. What is said, signed and recorded now becomes the spine of the case — often in a language the person cannot read.
02
A complaint you did not expect
You learn a case has been filed, sometimes only when travel is blocked. The priority is identifying the authority, the allegation and the file reference.
03
Cheque and financial allegations
Bounced instruments, breach of trust and fraud allegations turn on contracts, transfers and correspondence — a documentary problem before it is a criminal one.
04
Cybercrime and online speech
Messages, posts and recordings attract criminal exposure in the UAE far more readily than clients expect. Preservation of the original material is critical.
05
Travel bans
A ban or passport retention may exist with no notification at all. Status should be verified before booking, not at the airport.
06
A judgment already issued
Objection and appeal periods run in days from notification. The written judgment and proof of service are the first things to obtain.
What actually matters
What decides
a criminal file.
Very little of it is courtroom argument. Most of it is what was preserved, recorded and said early.
The evidence
Messages, transfers, contracts, receipts and call logs are usually the whole case. Preserve everything immediately — including material that feels unhelpful.
The clock
Procedural deadlines run automatically, whether or not you have been told. Notification dates matter as much as judgment dates.
The parallel risk
A criminal allegation rarely stays criminal. It can threaten a licence, a company, a visa or a reputation, and the strategy has to account for all of it.
Common questions
Questions worth
asking.
General information only — every matter turns on its own facts.
What should I do if I am called for questioning?
Get advice before attending if the allegation is unclear. Record the station, the authority and any reference number, and prepare a precise dated chronology rather than an explanation. Do not sign anything you cannot read without a translation.
Can a case be filed against me without my knowledge?
Yes. People frequently discover a complaint only when a travel ban surfaces or a summons arrives. If you have any reason to think a complaint exists, your status can be checked before it becomes urgent.
Does settling with the complainant end the matter?
In several categories of case a settlement or withdrawal materially changes the position, but not in all of them, and the effect differs by offence. It is one of the first questions worth asking, not the last.
Do you appear in court yourself?
Court representation before the UAE courts is handled with locally licensed advocates. I lead the strategy, the preparation and the client relationship, and coordinate the advocacy so nothing is lost between advisers.
How quickly can you act?
Urgent matters — detention, questioning, an imminent deadline — are answered by phone and WhatsApp 24 hours a day. For anything time-critical, call rather than email.
Related areas
Matters rarely stay
in one category.
This issue commonly overlaps with the areas below — which is why one counsel across all of them matters.
Practice
Appeals & urgent applications
Time-sensitive review of judgments, appeal grounds and interim measures.
Learn more → PracticeCorporate & commercial
Where an allegation threatens a company, a licence or a shareholding.
Learn more → PracticeDebt recovery & enforcement
Financial allegations frequently sit alongside a civil recovery claim.
Learn more →Assess how urgent your situation is — free and confidential →
If someone is being questioned right now, call.
Do not wait for an email reply when liberty, a travel ban or a criminal record is in play. Urgent matters are answered 24/7.