UAE Legal Q&As: Ask permission before filming

I was involved in an incident recently and I would like to know where I stand legally. I drove a friend to his flat and he gave me his phone and said to go to his door and start taking video footage if he took longer than 15 minutes. I arrived at the door. He opened it and was arguing with his wife, and she saw me recording. She then swore at me and then closed the door. My friend gave me permission to record but the wife, although seeing the camera, did not. Where would I stand legally in that instance?

I would advise that you contact your friend’s wife and explain the circumstances of you arriving at her door, that her husband asked you to shoot the video and that you did not have any ill intentions. If she is planning to file a police complaint I believe that you should not be liable as you were using her husband’s phone and because you had no malice.

I won a court settlement against Hydra Properties in 2011, as did many others. Hydra has still not paid out, yet the company is still trading. I could understand if they had gone bust but they haven’t. I’ve now lost rights to the apartment at their development and so Hydra have more than likely sold it. Why can the courts not seize a company’s assets and force it to pay settlements? And is there anything more I can do to regain this money, which was first invested in 2008?

As there have been many judgments made against Hydra Properties, a special committee has been formed to follow up on claims against it and to maintain the rights of all claimants and to establish the principle of equity. The committee is there to help claimants and it may feel that allowing the company to continue is the best way to guarantee the return of money to claimants. Confiscation of the company’s assets could result in loss and those assets may not be enough to fulfil all claims made against the company. You should follow up your claim with the committee I mention.

My job is a sales executive and my employer handed me a termination letter, effective after a month. I signed it as I was not hitting my targets. My question is: will a labour ban be in place for me, even though my visa was only issued in March and was terminated after just four months?

If a person’s contract is terminated before the completion of two years, the employee cannot work for six months unless they are moving to a higher position with a higher salary, in line with Ministry of Labour rules. If the employee holds a secondary school certificate, the new job cannot be earning less than Dh5,000 a month; if the employee holds an intermediate degree, the salary minimum is Dh7,000 dirhams; and if the person holds a university degree, the salary minimum is Dh12,000. If the employer breaches its legal obligations, ie: does not pay the salary for 60 days, this fact should be reported to the ministry.

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