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Doha, Qatar: The Court of First Instance in Qatar has ruled in favour of a cheque forgery victim, ordering QR 2 million compensation after the plaintiff got jailed, fined, and banned from travel due to a fraudulent alteration of a guarantee cheque.
Arabic daily Al Sharq newspaper reported this adding that according to the case details, the victim had asked his former business partner and longtime friend to act as a guarantor for a financing company for a loan amount of QR 162,000 to purchase a vehicle. As a guarantee, the victim gave the friend a blank cheque.
However, what was supposed to be a standard guarantor arrangement took a shocking turn when 10 years later, the victim discovered an arrest warrant had been issued against him, by his former friend, for a cheque fraud of QR 28.5 million cheque.
The victim was tried and convicted by the Court of First Instance Misdemeanors and Felonies to 3 years prison time, travel ban and a bail of QR 100,000, Al Sharq Newspaper reported.
However, an appeal by victim’s attorney, Mana Nasser Jashan, led to further investigations that revealed the writing on the cheque was not identical to the victim’s handwriting, and the value had been fraudulently written as a whopping QR 28.5 million.
The Court then ultimately issued its final ruling, acquitting the victim. Further, a civil lawsuit was filed seeking compensation for the damages, resulting in the court’s decision to order the perpetrator to pay QR 2 million to the victim in compensation.
This case stressed the importance of being vigilant when dealing with cheques or any financial situation, regardless of friendship or any sort of relationship.
