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My Business Partner Locked Me Out of the Company Bank Account

“My business partner locked me out of the company bank account, and I can't get access to funds, statements, or even see what's happening with the money.”

This is a shareholder or partner dispute over control of company banking and management, which UAE company law treats as a governance problem that can escalate into a claim for breach of duty, oppression of a minority partner, or the winding up of the company.

Being cut off from your own company's money is frightening, especially if you don't know why it happened or whether it was even legal. The right response depends heavily on how your company is structured and registered, because a Dubai mainland LLC, a DIFC company and an ADGM company are governed by different laws and different courts. LEXNOVA can help you describe what has happened and explore lawyers who handle exactly this kind of dispute — every match is reviewed by a person, and any advice comes directly from the lawyer you choose, not from LEXNOVA.

LAST REVIEWED 21 SEPTEMBER 2026

WHERE THIS IS HANDLED

Start with the bank itself, in writing. If that doesn't resolve it, the case moves to whichever court has jurisdiction over the company — Dubai Courts or Abu Dhabi Courts for a mainland LLC, or the DIFC Courts or ADGM Courts for a free zone or financial centre company.

How the answer changes by jurisdiction

  • Dubai mainland

    A Dubai mainland LLC is governed by the federal Commercial Companies Law. Changing bank signatories usually requires a company resolution, and depending on your Memorandum of Association it may need the manager's authority or the consent of all or a majority of partners. If your partner acted alone without that authority, the change can be challenged with the bank directly and, if the bank won't reverse it, through Dubai Courts.

  • DIFC

    A DIFC-registered company is governed by the DIFC Companies Law and its Companies Regulations, and disputes are heard by the DIFC Courts in English, under common-law procedure with disclosure and interim injunctions available. A partner who has frozen you out of management and banking can potentially be challenged through an unfair-prejudice style claim, which does not exist in the same form onshore.

  • Abu Dhabi mainland

    The underlying company law is the same federal Commercial Companies Law that applies in Dubai, but the case is heard in Abu Dhabi Courts, under the same civil-law, Arabic-language procedure as Dubai — including court-appointed experts rather than the disclosure process used in DIFC or ADGM.

  • ADGM

    An ADGM company is governed by the ADGM Companies Regulations, closely modelled on English company law, and disputes go to the ADGM Courts, which — like the DIFC Courts — can grant urgent interim relief and hear an unfair-prejudice petition against a partner who has excluded you from the business.

WHAT YOU CAN DO NEXT

STEP 01

Work out exactly what has changed

"Locked out" can mean several different things, and the right response depends on which one happened. You may have been removed as an authorised signatory, the account itself may have been frozen by the bank for its own compliance reasons, or your partner may simply hold sole signing authority under the company's existing structure and is now refusing to act jointly.

Call the bank's relationship manager and ask, in plain terms, what changed on the mandate and when. Get this in writing if you can, even a short email confirming the call, because it becomes important evidence later.

STEP 02

Gather your company documents

Before you can challenge anything, a lawyer will need to see the company's Memorandum and Articles of Association or Incorporation, the trade licence, any shareholder or board resolutions on file, and the bank mandate or signatory letter the bank is currently relying on.

If you can get a recent bank statement or transaction history, even a partial one, that helps establish what has actually happened to company funds since the change.

STEP 03

Put the bank on notice in writing

Send the bank a formal written notice asserting your position as a partner or shareholder and, where relevant, disputing the validity of any resolution used to change the mandate. Banks are generally cautious once a dispute is raised in writing, because they do not want to be caught facilitating one partner's unilateral action against another.

Do not expect the bank to resolve the underlying dispute — it will usually just freeze further changes until the partners sort it out themselves or a court tells it what to do.

STEP 04

Send a formal notice to your partner

A lawyer-drafted notice puts your partner on record, sets out what you believe happened, and often prompts a negotiated resolution faster than litigation does — partly because it signals that you are prepared to escalate if needed.

STEP 05

Consider urgent court measures

If company funds are at real risk of being moved or dissipated, a lawyer can advise on interim measures — such as a precautionary attachment over the account or an injunction — available through the relevant court. These are time-sensitive and courts expect you to move quickly once you become aware of the risk, so this is not a step to delay.

STEP 06

Decide what the underlying claim actually is

Being locked out is usually a symptom of a bigger disagreement — about management, profit-sharing, an exit, or a breakdown in trust. Your lawyer will help you decide whether you are aiming for a negotiated buy-out, a formal claim for breach of duty or oppression, or, if the relationship is beyond repair, dissolution or liquidation of the company.

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FAQ

It depends entirely on what the company's constitutional documents and any signed resolutions actually allow. If the Memorandum of Association or Articles require joint consent or a formal resolution and that process wasn't followed, the change can likely be challenged. If your partner already held sole signing authority under the existing structure, this may be unpleasant but not unlawful — a lawyer needs to see the actual documents to tell you which situation you're in.

Get the bank's explanation in writing and pull together whatever company documents you already have — the licence, the MOA, and any resolutions you're aware of. Acting fast matters more here than acting perfectly.

You can try, but most relationship managers will not unwind a mandate change on the spot once a dispute exists — they'll refer it to their legal or compliance team. A written notice from you, ideally supported by a lawyer, tends to move things faster than an in-branch conversation alone.

Yes, significantly. It determines which law governs the company (federal Commercial Companies Law for mainland, or the free zone's own companies regulations for DIFC and ADGM) and which court hears the dispute. DIFC and ADGM offer remedies, like an unfair-prejudice claim, that don't have a direct equivalent in the mainland system.

Usually civil — a dispute about governance and authority. It can shift toward criminal territory if there's evidence of forgery, such as a fabricated resolution or a forged signature, in which case a parallel criminal complaint may be appropriate alongside the civil claim.

Interim relief is possible in principle, in all four jurisdictions, where funds are genuinely at risk. Whether it's the right tool for your situation depends on the specific facts and evidence you can show the court, so this needs a lawyer's assessment rather than a general answer.

That is potentially a criminal matter as well as a civil one. Keep the document, do not confront your partner about it before speaking to a lawyer, and consider a parallel criminal complaint alongside challenging the resolution's validity in the civil case.

Depending on the jurisdiction and the company's own documents, there may be routes to a court-ordered buy-out, a negotiated exit, or, as a last resort, dissolution. This is genuinely fact-specific and is usually the endpoint of a process rather than a quick first step.

That's one of the hardest practical parts of these disputes — operations, payroll and suppliers don't pause for a legal process. Your lawyer can advise on interim arrangements, such as a temporarily agreed joint-signing protocol, while the underlying dispute is resolved.

No. Banks generally try to stay neutral in a partner dispute and will usually freeze further changes rather than choose a side, until the partners agree or a court issues a binding order.

It varies enormously depending on whether it settles early, whether interim relief is needed, and which court hears it — DIFC and ADGM proceedings run differently from onshore Dubai or Abu Dhabi proceedings. A lawyer can give you a realistic estimate only once they've seen your specific facts.

If you can do so safely and without risking further asset movement, a direct conversation is worth trying. But most people in this position also want a lawyer's advice running in parallel, so they understand their legal position and don't give anything away by negotiating from a position of uncertainty.

Recovery becomes harder once funds have moved, but it is not automatically hopeless — tracing and recovery claims exist precisely for this situation. Speak to a lawyer as soon as possible regardless, because the options narrow the longer you wait.

No. LEXNOVA is not a law firm and does not give legal advice or represent you. LEXNOVA helps you describe your situation and explore potentially suitable lawyers; every match is reviewed by a person, and the lawyer-client relationship, once formed, is directly between you and the lawyer you choose.

Yes, in principle. Many of these steps, including instructing a lawyer, sending formal notices, and even some court applications, can be progressed remotely, often with a power of attorney in place. Being abroad complicates things but does not remove your options.

It depends on your role, your signing authority, and the company's structure — an LLC partner's liability generally differs from a sole proprietor's, and free zone structures vary again. This is worth raising specifically with your lawyer early on, rather than assuming either way.

LEXNOVA is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice, legal opinions, legal representation, or legal services. Any legal advice or representation is provided directly by the independent legal professional engaged by the client.

A connection or introduction does not constitute a guarantee, endorsement, or assurance of outcome. Users should independently confirm the professional's qualifications, authorization, fees, scope of engagement, and suitability.

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