Technology-driven smart court will handle Jafza's labour litigation

Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority (Jafza) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Dubai Courts for establishing a Virtual Reality Smart Court to handle labour litigations involving companies operating from the Free Zone and its business units.

A dedicated chamber for the "Smart Court" will be established at the Free Zone to conduct hearings and adjudicate through live direct transmission broadcasting sessions between the Dubai Courts judges and the parties concerned.

An electronic link will be established between Jafza's systems and the Dubai Court Service System (Labour Courts), enabling the parties to connect securely.

Cases will be heard and disposed of remotely as litigants will no longer need to be physically present at the Dubai Courts premises, saving time and promoting an efficient and practical approach to litigation.

The technology-driven Virtually Reality Smart Court will be supported by high levels of cybersecurity systems, enabling the judges, lawyers, companies and litigants to remain connected the entire time.

Mohammed Al Muallem, CEO and Managing Director, DP World UAE Region and CEO of Jafza, said:

"Innovation drives our operations and administrative functions at Jafza. With over 8,600 companies and more than 144,000 jobs sustained within Jafza and its business units, our legal departments handle a multitude of cases at once. The Smart Court is a qualitative leap for our free zones’ legal and judicial processes and will help us deliver savings in time, cost and most importantly the distress caused to the litigants required to commute long distances between their base in the Free Zone and Dubai Courts.

"The remote courtroom located in Jebel Ali will benefit judges and other officials of Dubai Courts, as they will be able to conduct hearings through highly secure electronic connections at their chambers. Using technology to enhance our legal systems is part of our policy of creating new value for our shareholders and is inspired by Dubai's goal of building a Smart City."

HE Taresh Al Mansouri, Managing Director of Dubai Courts, said:

“These efforts reflect the spirit of cooperation between government agencies in Dubai as part of Dubai Courts' strategy to develop judicial services. The agreement between Dubai Courts and Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority is the cornerstone for strengthening our joint efforts to enhance labour relations and settlement of labour disputes in a manner not inconsistent with the applicable laws and regulations in the UAE.

“The agreement comes in line with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to provide services to the highest standards of quality for the benefit of the customers. It opens new horizons to improve the efficiency, effectiveness and speed in the implementation of judgments, orders and judicial decisions, and paves the way for a new phase of excellence in line with the common endeavours to advance the process of smart transformation of Dubai into the happiest city in the world.”

The Smart Court will include a conference room equipped with state-of-the-art technology to enable the remote sessions. It will enable all those involved in a case, from judges and legal aides to the parties engaged in the litigation access to the relevant documents, officials and support systems. A Legal Assistant will serve as a link between the Free Zone and the Dubai Labour Courts during the conduct of hearings.

The Smart Court will serve the legal requirements of Jafza and its related business units. As a major international free zone operator, Jafza is a leading hub to companies with a diverse background of legal systems and languages. Multinational Corporations can have increased confidence that their case will be dealt with under an efficient, fair and impartial commercial legal system.

For DP World media enquiries please contact:
Noel David Francis
Executive – PR & Media
Communications
DP World, UAE Region
T: +971 4 889 7911
M: +971 56 403 9833
Noel.Francis@dpworld.com 

About Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza)

Jafza is one of the world’s leading free trade zones and is home to over 7,500 multinational companies. Jafza accounts for 23.9% of total FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) flow ‎into the country, sustaining the employment of more than 135,000 people in the United Arab Emirates. In 2018, Jafza generated trade worth USD 93 billion.

Strategically located at the crossroads of a region providing market access to over 3.5 billion people, Jebel Ali Port and Free Zone is an integrated multi-modal hub offering sea, air and land connectivity, complemented by extensive logistics facilities. ‎The facility contributes 33.4% of Dubai’s GDP every year.

Jafza is the leading business hub between Asia, Europe and Africa, connecting some of the fastest-growing manufacturing and consumer markets globally. With over 30 years’ experience, Jafza focuses on long-term customer relationships, building alliances with global investors and providing world-class infrastructure and support, in addition to quality-driven value-added services and incentives. Jafza is a business opportunity enabler, offering its customers easy and efficient access to substantial business opportunities in the region.

About Dubai Courts

Most common judicial forms of the courts in the world are divided into three stages:

• Court of First Instance: The first degree of litigation.
• Court of Appeal: The second degree of litigation.
• Court of Cassation: Highest & final level of litigation.

Dubai Courts with its three levels of Primary, Appeal and Cassation courts was not established by a single law since its beginning. But there were a number of laws issued consecutively for its establishment, whereas the first law was issued on 8th September 1970 to establish Dubai Courts by specifying Chief justice and dividing them into Personal Affairs and Civil courts, and by specifying two degrees of litigation; the First Instance Court and Appeal Court. subsequently, Law No. (2) of 1979 was issued for the formation of the Supreme Court of Appeal, then issued Law No.(1) of 1988 to constitute the Court of Cassation. The condition remained unchanged until the law on the formation of the courts in the Emirate of Dubai law No.(3) of 1992 which brought together three courts under the umbrella of one law and resolved that the courts are consisting of three courts: Cassation, Appeals and the Court of First Instance.

Then law No.3 of 2000 was issued which declared the establishment of the Department called the Department of the courts and gave courts the authority to regulate the courts of Dubai, in both financial and administrative aspects and the said law defined powers of the court and named its departments as technical, financial and administrative departments.

The condition remained unchanged until the issuance of Law No. 1 of 2003 for the establishment of Department of Justice. This law empowered department and put the courts and public prosecution with all their powers and their previous departments under its umbrella. Supervision of Judicial Inspection Authority was as well included in that, relying on the laws passed to regulate affairs of the courts, Public prosecution and Judicial Inspection Authority separately.

After that law of 2005 passed which abolished the law No.1of 2003 which established the Department of Justice thereafter law No 6 issued , which separated the Public prosecution from the courts and restored it previous status. Finally the law for the year 2005 regulated the Dubai Courts, which renamed the Dubai Courts, as (Dubai Courts) and restructured departments and remained so till today.

© Press Release 2019