The court imposed a Dh10,000 fine after finding that the woman deceived the buyer about the watch’s authenticity and fraudulently obtained his money.
A woman has been fined Dh10,000 after the Dubai Misdemeanour Court convicted her of selling a counterfeit Patek Philippe watch as an authentic timepiece. The criminal court also ordered the watch to be confiscated and directed her to refund the Dh700,000 paid by the buyer.
The buyer had purchased the watch believing it was genuine. He reported the matter after discovering that the timepiece was counterfeit.
The court found that the woman had deceived the buyer about the watch’s authenticity and obtained his money through fraudulent means.
In addition to imposing the fine, the court ordered the return of the money and the confiscation of the counterfeit watch. While the criminal ruling addressed the offence and its immediate consequences, a subsequent civil case dealt with the buyer’s financial loss, including repayment, interest and legal costs.
Appeal rejected
The woman challenged the criminal verdict, but the court rejected her appeal and upheld the original ruling.
She subsequently approached the Court of Cassation, which also dismissed her challenge, making the criminal judgement final.
The buyer later filed a civil lawsuit seeking compensation for his financial loss. The Dubai Civil Court ordered the woman to repay Dh700,000, along with annual legal interest of 5 per cent from the date of the civil judgement until the amount is paid in full. She was also directed to cover court fees, expenses and legal costs.
In its assessment, the civil court relied on the findings of the final criminal judgement regarding the sale and the loss suffered by the buyer. It concluded that the woman’s actions had directly caused the financial harm, establishing her civil liability.
The case resulted in separate criminal and civil consequences. The criminal proceedings led to the conviction, fine and confiscation of the counterfeit watch, while the civil ruling secured repayment of the Dh700,000, together with interest and litigation costs.
