DUBAI // Lawyers of tenants caught in the Shamyana subletting scam have urged the Rent Committee to show compassion to their clients.
The municipality's Rent Committee, Dubai's highest property-leasing court, ruled last week to evict the first three tenants from homes they had rented from the fraudster Haitham Al Kouatly.
Al Kouatly, the chief executive of Shamyana Entertainment Services, fled Dubai with as much as Dh6 million in rent money from more than 300 tenants.
Mohammed Al Sheikh, the Rent Committee's secretary general, said tenants should have been aware of law and should have asked for a title deed to establish ownership.
But Mohammed Al Suwaidi, the Emirati founder of the law firm Al Suwaidi & Company, said the committee should find a middle ground.
"We needed more leniency for people who fell victim," Mr Al Suwaidi said. "I would have loved for the Government to intervene in the Shamyana case to help landlords and tenants achieve a balance, since both parties are victims.
"These tenants contributed to Dubai's economy. They are simple people and have not committed a crime."
His firm has taken on 35 Shamyana cases and one client has already been given an eviction notice.
The committee's decisions are binding and cannot be appealed in any other Dubai court.
"I urge authorities and the government to re-look at this dispute," Mr Al Suwaidi said. "In this case these guys are really the victims. Our law says it is not an excuse if you don't know the law but it is not always easy to understand the law when you are from a different country."
Alaa Diab, managing partner of Mubasheri Advocates and Legal Consultancy, is representing more than 30 tenants.
"I am very disappointed by the Rent Committee's decision," said Mr Diab. "We are talking about so many families. It is for the committee to look after these people.
"One of my clients is sending his family back home and will live in a shared apartment. This will harm the economy. I have requested the committee to help the cheated people and not go completely against them."
Ten of his clients are fighting their landlords at the Rent Committee. One of them has been ordered to vacate his flat within two weeks.
Mr Diab hoped the other nine, whose cases are being dealt by the committee, will have better results.
David Kosterno moved out of his flat in the Greens last week while his case was still being heard.
"A criminal offence has taken place and this should be treated as a criminal case," Mr Kosterno said.
"We had hoped the tribunal would act towards amicable settlements but the rulings appear to favour the landlord. Our move has cost us a lot of money but it was for peace of mind. Enough is enough."
Legal experts say the committee is an effective alternative to having disputes heard in small claims courts, like several western nations.
Unlike other UAE courts, tenants and landlords can represent themselves before the Rent Committee in English or Arabic.
"It's more expeditious than local courts," said Ludmila Yamalova, a managing partner at HPL Yamalova & Plewka. But she was also disappointed with the early rulings.
"I'm surprised because I would have hoped the committee could have reached a compromise since both parties were damaged," Ms Yamalova said.
"The rule of law mandates that the Rent Committee look to principles of equity and beyond the principles of the contract."
Nick Clayson, a partner with international law firm Norton Rose, said he supported the verdict.
"The lesson is a harsh one for those affected, however, it is incumbent when buying or leasing any property or goods that you satisfy yourself that the person selling or leasing has the power to do so," Mr Clayson said.
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Unresolved crisis
Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a bitter conflict since 2014, when Ukraine’s Kremlin-friendly president was ousted, Moscow annexed Crimea and then backed a separatist insurgency in the east.
Fighting between the Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces has killed more than 14,000 people. In 2015, France and Germany helped broker a peace deal, known as the Minsk agreements, that ended large-scale hostilities but failed to bring a political settlement of the conflict.
The Kremlin has repeatedly accused Kiev of sabotaging the deal, and Ukrainian officials in recent weeks said that implementing it in full would hurt Ukraine.
The years Ramadan fell in May
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
BIO
Favourite holiday destination: Turkey - because the government look after animals so well there.
Favourite film: I love scary movies. I have so many favourites but The Ring stands out.
Favourite book: The Lord of the Rings. I didn’t like the movies but I loved the books.
Favourite colour: Black.
Favourite music: Hard rock. I actually also perform as a rock DJ in Dubai.
RACE CARD AND SELECTIONS
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The National selections
5pm: RB Hot Spot
5.30pm: Dahess D’Arabie
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6.30pm: Rmmas
7pm: RB Seqondtonone
7.30pm: AF Mouthirah
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
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The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
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Brief scores:
Barcelona 3
Pique 38', Messi 51 (pen), Suarez 82'
Rayo Vallecano 1
De Tomas Gomez 24'
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TOUR RESULTS AND FIXTURES
June 3: NZ Provincial Barbarians 7 Lions 13
June 7: Blues 22 Lions 16
June 10: Crusaders 3 Lions 12
June 13: Highlanders 23 Lions 22
June 17: Maori All Blacks 10 Lions 32
June 20: Chiefs 6 Lions 34
June 24: New Zealand 30 Lions 15
June 27: Hurricanes 31 Lions 31
July 1: New Zealand 21 Lions 24
July 8: New Zealand v Lions
How the UAE gratuity payment is calculated now
Employees leaving an organisation are entitled to an end-of-service gratuity after completing at least one year of service.
The tenure is calculated on the number of days worked and does not include lengthy leave periods, such as a sabbatical. If you have worked for a company between one and five years, you are paid 21 days of pay based on your final basic salary. After five years, however, you are entitled to 30 days of pay. The total lump sum you receive is based on the duration of your employment.
1. For those who have worked between one and five years, on a basic salary of Dh10,000 (calculation based on 30 days):
a. Dh10,000 ÷ 30 = Dh333.33. Your daily wage is Dh333.33
b. Dh333.33 x 21 = Dh7,000. So 21 days salary equates to Dh7,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service. Multiply this figure for every year of service up to five years.
2. For those who have worked more than five years
c. 333.33 x 30 = Dh10,000. So 30 days’ salary is Dh10,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service.
Note: The maximum figure cannot exceed two years total salary figure.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Africa Institute 101
Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.
Company%20Profile
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Company%20Profile
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