Appeals Court to rehear cases of UAE Government bodies sued over power bills

Ministry cannot yet be sued over its non-payment of electricity bills worth more than Dh3.5m, rules court.

ABU DHABI // Three government bodies being sued over more than Dh3.5 million worth of unpaid water and electricity bills will have their case reheard by the Appeals Court.

The water and electricity regulator filed a lawsuit in 2009 against the Ministry of Culture and Youth, Ministry of Finance and Industry and the National Media Council for not paying their bills during a period between 1997 and 2006.

The case was first heard at the Abu Dhabi Administrative Court, which assigned an expert committee to look into the claims. The committee found that the government bodies owed Dh3,517,537.

That finding, in March 2011, was upheld by the Appeals Court so the three government parties appealed to the Federal Supreme Court.

They argued that Federal Law 23 for the year 2005 had been misinterpreted by the lower courts.

According to the law: "No lawsuit claiming debts ... from the state or public figures should be heard before the fifth year has passed."

They argued that this meant that in 2009 the regulator had filed the complaint too early, as the five year period should be taken from 2006 - the last day of alleged non-payment.

The Federal Supreme Court sent the case back to the Appeals Court for a second hearing.