Livestock Theft Accusation: Man Claims Others Sold His Camels, Falsely Reported Their Deaths

An Al Ain court dismissed a lawsuit where a man accused two others of secretly selling his camels after claiming the animals had died. The case ended when both defendants took a decisive oath denying they had sold the camels, which under UAE law settled the dispute in their favor.

The plaintiff had entrusted three female camels to the two men. He got one back, but they told him the other two had died. Later, they changed their story and said the camels were stolen. The owner suspected they had actually sold his camels and kept the money, so he sued for 200,000 dirhams in compensation.

Here's where it gets interesting. During the court proceedings, the plaintiff used a legal tool called a "decisive oath." Under UAE civil and commercial law, either party in a lawsuit can demand the other side swear an oath about the facts of the case. It's a high-stakes move because the oath essentially decides who wins.

Both defendants took the oath separately, swearing they hadn't sold the camels or owed the plaintiff any money. Once they completed the oath using the required legal language, the case was effectively over.

The Al Ain Civil, Commercial and Administrative Court explained that the decisive oath system allows either party to put the matter in their opponent's hands at any stage of the lawsuit. The oath must relate to facts the person swearing would know about. Judges can block the oath if they think someone is using it unfairly.

But there's a catch. By demanding the oath, the plaintiff was essentially gambling that the defendants wouldn't be willing to lie under such solemn circumstances. When they took the oath anyway, he lost his legal basis for the case entirely.

The court ruled that since both men had sworn the decisive oath, this proved they didn't owe the plaintiff the money he demanded. The lawsuit lost all legal foundation, and the court ordered the plaintiff to pay court fees and legal costs on top of losing his case.