Everyone deserves a fair defence. AK Criminal Lawyers has over 25 years of experience defending people in police investigations, prosecution proceedings and the UAE criminal courts.
Defence counsel who know the police station, the prosecution file and the courtroom
We are a criminal defence firm in Business Bay, Dubai, with over 25 years of experience. Our lawyers have rights of audience before the UAE criminal courts, and the firm includes Emirati lawyers.
A criminal matter is rarely a single event. It moves from the police to the public prosecution, then to court and, where available, to appeal. We act at each of those stages, so the lawyer who understood your case at the police station is still involved when it reaches the judge.
Where a criminal matter overlaps with a corporate, family or other dispute, we deal with the connected issues together. About the firm
24/7 emergency assistance
Arrest, detention, police questioning or an investigation that cannot wait.
Prompt follow-up
Fast case assessment and a clear account of your immediate options.
Support at every stage
Consistent updates through police, prosecution, court and appeal.
Straight advice
Realistic assessments and practical steps, without false comfort.
Where is your case now?
Complaint, summons, questioning, arrest
The police receive a complaint or act on their own, collect evidence and take statements. You may be summoned or arrested. Anything you say is recorded.
First step. Ask for a lawyer and an interpreter before you answer. Do not sign what you cannot read.
These are representative scenarios that show the problems we are asked to solve and how we approach them. They are not client cases, and we do not promise results. Verified case outcomes are added here when a client has agreed to their publication.
Illustrative scenario
A fraud complaint from a business partner
The situation. A director learns that a former partner has filed a fraud complaint with the police after a deal collapsed. A summons arrives for the next morning, and the director's first instinct is to ring the partner.
Legal challenges. Whether a failed commercial deal is being treated as a crime. What the contract, transfers and messages show about intent. The risk that accounts are frozen while the file is open. Whether anything said at the police station will contradict the documents.
Our approach. We collect the contract, bank records and messages before any statement is given. We prepare the client for questioning and attend with them. We put in writing why this is a commercial dispute and not a criminal one.
The law that applies. At the prosecution stage the accused's attorney may attend the questioning and review the investigation papers (Criminal Procedures Law, Art 98). The prosecution can then close the file or refer it to court.
Illustrative scenario
A traveller stopped at Dubai Airport
The situation. A visitor on a departure flight is held at passport control. An officer says there is an issue with their name on the system. Their family is waiting at the gate.
Legal challenges. Finding out which authority holds the case, and whether it is a travel ban or an arrest warrant. Getting a statement taken with an interpreter. Avoiding a night in custody that could have been avoided.
Our approach. A relative calls us. We contact the authority, establish what the record says and arrange to attend. We then prepare an application to lift the restriction, with the guarantees the authority is likely to ask for.
The law that applies. The prosecutor can order a travel ban, circulated to all ports (Art 99), and can release a person on bail with a travel ban (Art 109). Provisional release can be ordered at any time before the case goes to court (Art 108).
Illustrative scenario
A drug allegation involving prescribed medication
The situation. A resident is stopped with medication prescribed abroad. In the home country it is routine. Here it may be a controlled substance, and the prescription may not cover the dose being taken.
Legal challenges. What exactly the substance is and whether it is controlled. Whether the prescription covers what was held and taken. How it was found, tested and recorded, and whether the client understood the questions in the interview.
Our approach. We gather the prescription and medical records, examine the laboratory evidence and review how the statement was taken and translated. We then decide whether to contest how the facts are characterised.
The law that applies. The narcotics law covers personal use in doses more than the medical prescription specifies (Narcotics Law, Art 41), and requires deportation of a foreigner convicted of any offence under it, with two exceptions (Art 75).
Testimonials
Client feedback, and what you can hold us to
We publish a client review only when the client has given it and agreed to its use. Until then, judge us on these commitments.
