UAE Civil court Verdicts can be Executed in India

Pavan Kapoor, Indian Ambassador to UAE

The long arm of the law will no longer take a long time to catch loan defaulters and other civil case convicts in the UAE who have fled to India.

India on January 18th 2020 issued a gazette notification declaring the UAE as a "reciprocating territory" for the Code of Civil Procedure and identifying the superior courts here, thereby facilitating the execution of UAE civil court orders through Indian courts.

Pavan Kapoor, Indian Ambassador to the UAE, confirmed that the notification implies that the civil and commercial court orders from the UAE courts identified as "superior" can now be executed through the district courts in India.

The Indian Ministry of Law and Justice on January 18 published the notification, dated January 17, in the official gazette.

“In exercise of the powers conferred by Explanation 1 to section 44A of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (5 of 1908), the Central Government hereby declares the United Arab Emirates to be a reciprocating territory for the purposes of the said section and the following Courts in the United Arab Emirates to be superior Courts of that territory,” the notification reads.

It also lists the federal and local courts in various emirates in the UAE that have been identified as the superior courts.

Kapoor said the new notification was the only remaining part of a 1999 agreement between the UAE and India related to cooperation in civil and commercial matters.

Reciprocating territory

The UAE had given effect to the treaty by publishing it in the Federal Gazette pursuant to Federal Decree No. 33 of 2000, according to a 2018 Guidance Note signed by DIFC with Nishith Desai Associates, covering enforcement of civil and commercial judgments through DIFC Courts and the Courts of India.

It said though the ratification of the agreement was exchanged in 2000, the treaty could not be fully implemented as the UAE could not be defined as a “reciprocating territory” for the execution of UAE judgments in India without India’s notification in its Official Gazette to give effect to the treaty.

The envoy observed that the missing element of the treaty — designating the courts — had now been added.

“My understanding is that this was the only thing left. Now, that has finally happened. The court order from the UAE now should be executed through the Indian courts.”

Kapoor confirmed that the move would help in the enforcement of civil and commercial court verdicts in financial cases such as loan defaults, bounced cheques as well as verdicts in divorce cases.

A game-changer in financial cases

The move will be a game-changer in the execution of civil verdicts in financial cases.

“This will be a big warning to those who flee to India after taking huge loans from banks. Earlier, most of the banks and individuals found it difficult to recover their money if the accused had fled to India.

"Now, they can approach the district courts in India directly seeking execution of the UAE court orders after due process of attestation of documents.”

No new suit to be filed

Since the UAE was not in the list of reciprocating territory, he said, there was a long procedure for executing a court verdict from here in India.

“It entailed applying for a certified copy of the judgment from the UAE, filing a civil lawsuit again in India, getting a fresh judgement and then filing the execution application. This consumes a lot of time and expenses.”

“Now a new suit will not have to be filed. This will be very helpful for the petitioners of many financial disputes in the UAE if the other party is in India,” 

 “It is an opportunity for petitioners to get a decree of the UAE executed in India in all civil cases, including divorce cases. Decree holders in matters particularly related to financial recoveries can now execute their orders through a much simpler process. The matter will no longer be reexamined on merits. This step strengthens the bilateral judicial relationship between the UAE and India.”

List of UAE courts whose verdicts can be executed in India

•     Federal Supreme Court
•     Federal, First Instance and Appeals Courts in the Emirates of Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Fujairah.
•     Abu Dhabi Judicial Department
•     Dubai Courts
•     Ras Al Khaimah Judicial Department
•     Courts of Abu Dhabi Global Markets
•     Courts of Dubai International Financial Centre

UAE unveils First Multi-entry Five-year Tourist Visas

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum - Photo courtesy Dubai Media office

The UAE unveiled its first multi-entry five-year tourist visa during the first Cabinet meeting of the year 2020.

On Monday 6th of January 2020, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai said the visa would allow tourists multiple entries into the country over five years. It is not clear if there will be a visa application fee and no other details have yet been released.

At present, tourists can visit the UAE with a free multiple entry visa for up to 90 days, from the date of entry. During the Cabinet meeting, the country's ministers reviewed last year's achievements and approved the new tourist visa. Sheikh Mohammed said the visa would be available to all nationalities. The move is expected to provide a boost to the tourism industry and make it easier for residents to bring relatives to the country for visits.

Existing system

At present, visitors from some countries can secure a 30-day visa on arrival at the airport plus a 10-day grace period. This includes travellers from Britain, Ireland, Australia, China and Hong Kong, among others.

Others including European citizens from the Schengen Area can secure a 90-day visa. This includes many of the EU members, Russia, South Korea and Argentina and Brazil, among others.

Other nationalities require paid-for visas, costing, for example, $10 for 48-hours or $30 for 96-hours and $90 for 30 days. This includes Pakistan, India and the Philippines and others.

New Job Vacancies in Dubai Government

Dubai Future Foundation has posted three job openings in the field of guest relations, sales and marketing and social media at Dubai Museum. Inviting enthusiastic job-seekers to join The Future Team of the Dubai Museum which is one-of-its-kind spectacular building Sheikh Zayed Road.

1.) Guest relations

A guest relations team member will work at the Museum of The Future and ensure guests receive an immersive, personalized and memorable experience from the future. The selected candidates will work to support the Guest Services team to deliver exceptional visitor service from the visitor's initial contact to arrival at the building, museum admission, experience through the exhibits, right through to departure.

Skills: Applicants should at least hold a Diploma in hospitality or relevant fields and have experience in Guest Relations in the hospitality or entertainment industry. Excellent command of English is mandatory but any additional languages are an added advantage.

2.) Retail

A retail team member will be a guardian of the Retail Store visitors' experience and will support the achievement of retail sales. The selected candidates will work to support the Retail Management team in the delivery of a world-class visitors' experience, through effective and proactive sales and services.

They will support the management in all logistical matters related to the visitors' experience, including orientation, monitoring and addressing visitors' issues and concerns during their visits to the Retail Store.

Skills: An excellent command of English is mandatory while any other languages are an additional advantage. Besides this, the applicants must at the least possess a Diploma and a previous experience in retail sales in a similar industry.

3.) Social Media Manager

Social Media Manager will report directly to the Director - Marketing and Communications and will be a part of the Marketing Department Team for the Museum of the Future. The selected candidate will contribute to spreading an enthusiastic vision for the museum and for the future more broadly, developing interest and excitement in the community, with partners and other stakeholders.

Skills: The selected candidate should have at least 8 years of experience in managing social media for global brands with progressive responsibility in Marketing, Communications or PR roles in an agency environment. A Bachelor or Master degree in Marketing, Communications, journalism, PR or a related field is also required. Further, the job entails working flexible and irregular hours to support marketing events and activities.

For further details log on to https://careers.dubaifuture.gov.ae/en/

New Virtual platform Launched for UAE Jobs

The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation has launched a new virtual labour market platform that will allow job seekers inside and outside of UAE to create profiles as well as search for vacancies on the ministry's website: careers.mohre.gov.ae. 

Ayesha Mohammed Ahmed Belharfia, Assistant Undersecretary for Labour Affairs, said that the new virtual labour market in its new edition is a tool that uses artificial intelligence to help all job seekers find opportunities announced by companies.

The AI system helps in matching the right applicants with what recruiters are searching for.

She added that launching the platform comes as a part of the ministry's desire to provide authentic recruiting services via an official platform that guarantees the security and privacy of applicants' data under the supervision of the ministry.

Belharfia said that the platform is user-friendly, as the AI guided services facilitate the user's journey from the moment he enters that platform until he finishes his profile and start looking for suitable opportunities.

She called on job seekers to register on the virtual labour market, thus benefiting from the employment services provided for employers and employees.