Bahraini businessman sued by friend over unpaid BD3,300 personal loan

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com   

In a case of betrayal of trust, a Bahraini man has filed a lawsuit against his friend for failing to repay a personal loan.

The plaintiff, represented by lawyer Eman Hassan, is seeking BD3,300 from the defendant. The defendant had borrowed the money from the plaintiff to fund his business venture, promising to repay the loan once his business was established.

However, despite the business’s success and even the opening of a second branch, the defendant failed to repay the loan, despite repeated requests from the plaintiff. According to lawyer Hassan, the defendant had initially signed a promissory note acknowledging the debt and promising repayment.

Lawsuit

However, he later ignored the plaintiff’s calls and blocked him on social media platforms, prompting the plaintiff to file the lawsuit.

“I trusted him as a friend, and he took advantage of that trust. He promised to repay the loan, but he broke his word,” the victim said before the court.

“It’s not just about the money, it’s about the principle. He treated our friendship like a business transaction and then abandoned me. I never imagined that someone I considered a friend would betray me like this.”

The court, after reviewing the evidence presented by lawyer Hassan, ruled in favour of the plaintiff.

The court cited Article 487 of the Civil Code, which defines a loan as an agreement where the borrower is obligated to return the borrowed amount, and Articles 128 and 129, which emphasise the binding nature of contracts and the need for good faith and ethical conduct in business dealings.

The court found that the defendant had indeed received the BD3,300 and failed to repay it despite the plaintiff’s repeated requests. The court therefore ordered the defendant to repay the loan amount and cover the plaintiff’s legal fees.