It Pays To Be Honest In Dubai

Decree state lost property must be handed in to police.

Finders will get cash reward

From W. Issa 7Days UAE


DUBAI residents are to receive rewards for handling in lost property under a new law,

But failure to take found items to police could result in a criminal charge. HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, issued the new legistration yesterday.

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State news agency WAM said the law stipulates that the finder will be entitled to 10 percent of the value of the item up to a maximum of Dhs50,000.

WAM stated: "The finder of any lost and/or abandoned property is obliged to submit such properties or monies to the police within 48 hours and may not act ownership on them; violation of such act is subject to crimial liability."

The finder can also stake a claim for the item if it is not claimed byh the owner within a year.

Dubai Police will be responsible for receiving and recording any lost property. How rewards are handed out is expected to be detailed in the near future.

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Lawyer Yousef Al Bahar, from Al Bahar and Associates, welcomed the move and sait it would improve good citizenship.

He suggested that often lost property is not returned, not out of criminality but because people live such busy live. He said: "Currenltly these is nothing legally binding for people to report lost or abandoned items."

 The lawyer added: "Many people out of convenience do not reort lost items to the authorities." Taxi drivers are already among those obliged to return lost property as part of their RTA contract.

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Rahim Khan, 27, from Pakistan, said he once found a bag containing Dhs500,000 after he drove a couple from Bur Dubai to Deira, Khan reported it to police and he recieved Dhs2,000 as a reward. He said; "The owners asked me if the money was enough. I replied that I was happy. "It is your money," I said, and it is my respondibility to return it."

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In January, News reported how Dubai had earned a perfect score in British documentary crew. Daniel Jarvis from the prak series times arund the city - and had it retuerned to him every time. " It's impossible to beat Dubai's score now, of course but we'll see if someone matches it," he said at the time.