UAE: Dh20,000 fine, 2 years jail for keeping lost property

If a resident finds any item or property that does not belong to them and keeps it with the intention of owning it, they will be prosecuted according to the law of the land.

The UAE Public Prosecution has reminded people that they can be fined not less than Dh20,000 or sentenced to imprisonment for not more than two years for the crime as per article 454 of the Federal Decree-Law No. 31 of 2021.

According to the law, finder of any lost and/or abandoned property is oblige 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 criminal liability.

Public Prosecution, in a recent social media post, reiterated that whoever takes over lost property that came to his possession by accident or by force majeure shall be subject to crimes & penalties law.

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