Courts publish 2013 annual reports

The Dubai Courts and the DIFC Courts published their 2013 annual reports at a joint ceremonyon Monday, 21 April 2014. Itattended by H.E. Taresh Al-Mansouri, Director-General of Dubai Courts, Michael Hwang, Chief Justice of DIFC Courts, and heads of courts, judges and officials. This annual initiative is part of the continuing close partnership between the two judiciaries.

The Dubai Courts 2013 Annual Report incorporates an overview of the Dubai Courts Strategic Plan 2012-2015, and the projects and initiatives executed to achieve strategic goals, as well as information on initiatives and programmes carried out to enhance confidence in the judicial system.  The Dubai Courts worked closely with their partners the DIFC Courts in 2013, including jointly organising the annual conference of the International Association of Court Administration (IACA) inDubai, the first time the event had been held in the Middle East.

The DIFC Courts reported a historic seventh consecutive year of growth in their Annual Review for 2013. The total value per case filed increased by 54 per cent in 2013 in the Court of First Instance, reflecting increasing familiarity and trust in the DIFC Courts. Over 90 per cent of the Small Claims Tribunal cases were resolved within four weeks, highlighting the swift redressal of issues that helps to promote greater ease of doing business.  While the DIFC Courts are primarily designed to support and protect UAE business, their jurisdiction was opened to businesses worldwide in October 2011. Approximately a third of the cases handled (excluding appeals) in the DIFC Court of First Instance in 2013 were international in nature.