A new law approved by President His Highness
Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan will further promote rule of law, fast-track
civil trials and keep pace with advanced technologies, Sultan Bin Saeed Al
Badi, Minister of Justice. Al Badi said changes in the Civil Procedures Code
will allow, starting from next year, video conferencing
in civil court trials and specialised courts to hear labour, financial,
contracting and intellectual property, among other, cases.
“Inspired by the French Tribunals de Commerce,
these courts will be presided by a judge, but other members on the bench will
be experts, but not career judges,” Al Badi said in a press briefing held at
the Ministry of Justice.
Al Badi added rulings will be given by the
presiding judge, but experts will assist the judge come to the final
conclusion.
Al Badi said that this fast-track justice for individuals as these courts will ensure
quicker verdicts without impacting the integrity of law as well as save expert
charges which burdened litigants.The Justice Minister said the changes will
also allow video conferencing in civil
trials. Defendants, witnesses, experts and translators will appear through video conferencing.
The move, Al Badi said, is also meant to avoid
unnecessary delays and backlog in civil trials.
Al Badi said the law would also make it easier
for police and prosecutors, as investigators would not have to carry the case
files from one spot to another.
The law applies the same conditions as regular
court hearings, including confidentiality of procedures that have been filmed,
and protecting the material from being exchanged, copied or deleted, except
with permission from the court.
Videoconferencing would also be of particular
benefit in judicial procedures with foreign countries and testimonies by
overseas experts.
Al Badi said the UAE has a judicial system that
is on a par with global standards that ensures the rights of society, both
individuals and organisations, and effectively contributes to achieving the
desired goals of strategic plans that sustain the UAE’s competitiveness.
The Justice Minister affirmed that by
introducing these changes into the Civil Procedures Code, the UAE aims to
become among the world’s top performers in rule of law.
“A strategic goal of the UAE is to become one
of the top 25 performers in the World Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Index,
during the next five years,” the minister said.
Last year, the UAE was ranked 33 in the Rule of
Law Index, whose results strengthen the UAE’s status as a leading trade,
finance, investment and tourism hub with a distinguished record in the rule of
law, justice, safety, security and other unique features.
According to the index, the UAE’s overall rule
of law performance places it at 30 out of 36 among high-income countries; and
33 out of 113 countries and jurisdictions worldwide.
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