Woman won’t have to return Dh60,000 worth of gifts to ex-husband, Federal Supreme Court rules

The court ruled that any amount given to a wife during a valid marriage should not be returned at all, even if the husband suffered financial problems or died.

ABU DHABI // A woman will not have to return Dh60,000 to her ex-husband – the value of half of the gifts that he gave her before they separated, the Federal Supreme Court has ruled.

The husband filed a case in Fujairah asking the woman to return money he had given her. He claimed the marriage was on paper only before the split and he was entitled to the money.

She refused and filed a counter claim to force her ex-husband to pay damages because she said he divorced her for no reason two months before the wedding.

She told the court she had spent considerable sums of money in preparation for the wedding and suffered emotional trauma after the divorce in May 2012.

The man appealed against the ruling by the Court of First Instance in Fujairah ruled that he should pay her about Dh40,000 as an allowance and for part of her dowry. The Appeals Court ordered him to pay her Dh30,000 and the woman to return the Dh60,000 in gifts he had given her.

She then went to the Federal Supreme Court and argued that because they had an official marriage certificate, she deserved to keep the money.

The court ruled in her favour and said any amount given to a wife during a valid marriage should not be returned, even if the husband had financial problems or died.