- The value of cases filed in Small Claims Court increased by 37%.
- Expanding the scope of international communication by signing a cooperation agreement with Hong Kong
Dubai United Arab Emirates: The Courts of the International Financial Center of Dubai today announced their results for the first half of 2024, which reflect continued growth in the area of resolving English-language legal cases before the region’s top courts. The results also showed an increase in demand for additional support services, such as the digital vault service “Tejoori”, due to the Dubai government’s strong tendency to abandon paper transactions, which increases the demand for secure digital storage of life management documents.
The value of cases in all departments of the court was 1.05 billion dirhams in the first half of 2024, and the total number of filed cases reached 480 cases, and the part of the main court of first instance reached 57 cases. with a total value of 1.02 billion UAE dirhams, and the average value of a case was 39.3 million UAE dirhams.
Commenting on these results, Judge Omar Al Muhairi, Director of DIFC Courts, said: “After recording record results in 2023, we continue to see increasing demand for core and support services in our courts here in the first half of 2024. We have also made commitments in 2024 to continue the research and development of new, innovative, efficient and cost-effective mechanisms to assist court users, while maintaining judicial excellence through prudent case management and extensive experience of our panel of judges.
Undoubtedly, the recent ranking of the United Arab Emirates among the top ten economies in the global competitiveness ranking is testimony to the vitality and dynamism that characterizes our common economy, as the report specifically mentions separate and effective mechanisms for resolution. Conflicts in the EAC as a fundamental pillar of its competitive economic sector. “As the Dubai International Financial Center celebrates its twentieth anniversary this year, the Center’s courts continue to move forward with confidence to enable businesses to thrive and individuals to interact in a stable and predictable environment, supporting the country’s federal and local strategic goals.”
It is worth noting that the cases presented to the Court of First Instance involved various sectors, including banking and financial services, real estate, construction, manufacturing, retail trade, intellectual property, health services, disputes related to breach of contract, employment. , and outstanding payments.
The Small Claims Court, which is the first in the region, achieved a high operational capacity in the first six months of 2024, as 265 cases were presented before it, and the total value of the claims presented was 27.2 million EAE. dirhams The average value of the cases brought before the judge was AED 109,000. These claims arose primarily from disputes related to breach of contract, employment, real estate and leases.
As part of a strategy aimed at digital trading and reducing paper transactions, seeking to increase efficiency year after year, the statistical results confirmed that the DIFC Courts issued 100% of their orders and judgments in digital form, including 913. orders in the first six months of 2024, in addition to 85 court rulings at the same time. The Court of First Instance also conducted 96% of hearings remotely, and the percentage of remote hearings reached 100% in the Small Claims Court and 75% in the Court of Appeals in the first half of 2024.
The DIFC Courts, in partnership with the Government of Dubai, launched a will registration service in 2015 to allow US-based non-Muslim investors to transfer their assets and appoint guardians for their children in accordance with their wishes by registering their wills through this service.
In the first half of 2024, the Will Service received 810 requests to register a will, 6% more than in the first half of 2023, and 9 orders to make wills were issued. The number of wills registered through this service since its creation has exceeded 11,000 wills.
Also, the “Tejoori” platform, launched by the Center courts in 2022 as part of its growing ancillary services, saw a more than 20% increase in the number of digital safes registered on it in the first half of 2024. Tejoori” offers a unique platform that functions as a cloud storage, online data vault, supported by a state-of-the-art field data center in the Dubai International Financial Center and a secondary backup data center.
All uploaded Life Management files will be subject to security measures in line with the highest standards of security systems, multi-factor authentication and data encryption, using each person’s key information and ledgers to be stored by an advanced encryption system. Through distributed ledger technology, Tejoori vault ensures that your entire wallet can be transferred to your nominated important parties or your dear friends at the scheduled time.
In February this year, Moro Integrated Solutions Data Center, affiliated to DEWA Digital, the digital arm of the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, was awarded a green certificate by the DIFC Courts in recognition of its commitment to sustainability and its choice of the Moro Cloud. to take over its IT management operations. Courts at the Center adopted this technology in 2023 to meet the needs of the growing digital infrastructure.
Moro Green Cloud was designed and developed to provide energy saving solutions to public and private sector organizations, and this initiative effectively helps reduce carbon footprint and support sustainable practices in the growing digital sector.
In April 2024, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister, may God protect him, as ruler of the Emirate of Dubai, issued Decree 2024 (29) on “Judicial Authority”. Resolve Jurisdictional Disputes between the Courts and Entities of the Dubai International Financial Center, the judicial system of the Emirate of Dubai.
The provisions of the decree apply to the judicial authorities of Dubai, including the Court of Cassation, the Court of Appeal, the Court of First Instance and any other court constituted as part of the judicial authority of the Emirate of Dubai. The provisions of the decree also apply to the courts of the Dubai International Financial Centre. The judiciary will approve new rules and procedures in the coming months to provide more guidance to court users.
In May 2024, the Courts of the International Financial Center of Dubai strengthened relations with one of the most important financial centers in Asia, signing a cooperation agreement with the Law Society of Hong Kong. The memorandum of understanding was signed during the visit of a delegation from Hong Kong, including Mr. Paul Lam, Minister of Justice of the Hong Kong SAR Government and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council.
Through this mechanism designed to exchange knowledge and cooperation, the activities carried out under the agreement agreements will help to increase investor confidence and facilitate access to justice. The memorandum of understanding signed with the Law Society of Hong Kong will also help to strengthen the relationship between these two leading institutions in the field of public law, as well as increase the confidence of companies and organizations from both countries, when conducting transactions between the two. One of the most prominent financial centers in Asia.
About the Dubai International Financial Center Courts:
The DIFC Courts in the UAE use the unique Anglo-Saxon English system, which provides a fast and independent judicial system for resolving local and international commercial and civil disputes. These courts located in Dubai work to provide reliability through transparent and enforceable judgments delivered by internationally recognized judges who adhere to the highest international legal standards in their delivery. The DIFC Courts combine their independence and complement the UAE’s Arab Civil Law system, offering an option that enhances the procedures of both systems, ensuring that a world-class judicial system is accessible to the public..
The DIFC Courts were established in September 2004 under laws established by His Highness the late Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai. The laws under which the DIFC Courts were established were designed to ensure that these courts offered reliability, flexibility and trustworthiness. What users expect. The courts’ community-based approach encourages early settlement, and its track record of success reinforces Dubai’s growing position as a global business destination..
In October 2011, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, issued a decree opening the jurisdiction of the DIFC Courts to companies and organizations from the GCC and beyond, thereby allowing access to the global business community. one of the most advanced commercial court systems in the world.
Inspired by the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the DIFC Courts have developed programs to support and develop the national workforce and enhance the competitive advantages of Emirati lawyers. The DIFC Courts are at the forefront of training programs aimed primarily at local Emirati lawyers, providing knowledge and qualifications in English in the field of the Anglo-Saxon legal system..
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