 | Dozens of Jaguars, BMWs and Mercedes have been left with the keys in the ignitions by former millionaire owners who have chosen to cut their losses and run back home rather than face potential jail sentences under Dubai’s strict debt laws. |  More than 3,000 cars were abandoned last year — to be sold off by Dubai police or scrapped. |
 | Recent reports have highlighted high-end sports cars gathering dust at Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports from panicked expats fleeing the country to avoid prison sentences for money owed. Under Sharia law which is observed across the Middle East, non-payment of debt is a criminal offence. As the UAE has no bankruptcy laws, there is no protection for those slipping into debt, even accidentally. There have been cases of foreigners being prevented from leaving the Emirates after being blacklisted for missing a credit card payment or bouncing a cheque. |
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