HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Swears in First UAE National Judges to an International Court of Appeal

HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai today swore in three Judges of the DIFC Courts at a ceremony held at Zabeel Palace.

The swearing-in marks the promotion of HE Justice Ali Al Madhani and HE Justice Omar Al Muhairi to the Court of Appeal in the DIFC Courts and the appointment of David Williams QC as Judge of the DIFC Courts.

His Excellency Dr Omar Bin Sulaiman, Governor of Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and Vice Chairman of the UAE Central Bank; was present at the ceremony.

HE Dr. Omar Bin Sulaiman said: "The DIFC Courts have been created as part of realising HH Sheikh Mohammed'[s vision to develop Dubai into a leading global business centre that provides a secure and trusted investment environment for international and regional businesses. The DIFC Courts are an integral part of the secure and stable platform that DIFC provides financial companies to support their growth. The expertise of these judges will strengthen the DIFC Courts' ability to provide an independent, fair and efficient judicial system."

Sir Anthony Evans, Chief Justice of the DIFC Courts said: "Both Al Madhani and Al Muhairi have already played a tremendous role in developing the Small Claims Tribunal of the DIFC Courts and I am confident that they will make positive and significant contributions to the continued development of the DIFC Courts. Justice David Williams brings extensive judicial knowledge and experience to the DIFC Courts acquired in New Zealand, a major common law jurisdiction. The swearing-in of the three judges boosts the DIFC Courts' ability to deal with cases of any level of complexity."

The Judges expressed their sense of pride in being sworn-in in the presence of HH Sheikh Mohammed and pledged to contribute their best to ensure that DIFC Courts provides the highest standards of legal procedure and the certainty, flexibility and efficiency expected by global institutions.

Headed by eminent judges who have varied and extensive experience in different common law jurisdictions around the world, the DIFC Courts have been designed to specifically deal with cases that may involve sophisticated financial transactions. The Rules of the DIFC Courts were created following extensive consultation and review of international best practices and are modelled on English Civil Procedure Rules (CPR).

Led by Sir Anthony Evans, Chief Justice and Michael Hwang, Deputy Chief Justice, the DIFC Courts' panel of distinguished judges includes Justice Sir Anthony Colman, Justice Sir John Chadwick, Justice Tan Sri Siti Norma Yaakob, Justice David Williams, H.E. Justice Omar Al Muhairi and H.E. Justice Ali Al Madhani.