Dubai announces major changes to justice system

Dubai Courts

Dubai is to overhaul its court's system to cut the time a case takes from up to 300 days to 30 days.

Dubai Courts on Monday said it would merge the three courts - first instance, appeal and cassation - into one to improve efficiency and cut costs.

This means three judges will hear each case at the same time under the new 'C3' system.

Previously, the three courts each heard entire trials and issued their own judgments on cases typically spanning months or longer.

It is not expected that judges would physically sit together in the same hearings - but that the whole process would run concurrently and be completed in one month.

Tarash Al Mansoori, director-general of Dubai Courts, said: "The courts' project will merge the three levels of litigation into a single court consisting of three judges, each representing a level of litigation - first instance, appeal and cassation."

He said the move will shorten litigation time, simplify procedures, reduce costs and end prolonged judicial proceedings.

At present, the court said cases take up to 305 days between the filing of the complaint or charge and a judgment.

A case is seen by up to 11 judges and three clerks and Dubai Courts currently handle about 60,000 criminal and civil cases per year. Under the new system, it aims to cut that to three judges and one clerk.

Al Mansoori told The National that the intention is not to prevent a convicted person from appealing.

There would be the ability to file a petition for a judgment to be reconsidered - but not a retrial.

He said a new law is being looked at within a time frame of two years set by out by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, the Crown Prince of Dubai.

“Within these two years, the new law should be drafted and approved and the C3 court should begin working," he said.