1 million beneficiaries used e-gate and smart platform to finalize their legal transactions
May 23 2016, 14.15 PM IST || Pocket News Alert
· 100 per cent smart transformation
· 95 per cent success rate in finalizing of cases, 13 per cent growth in rate of registered cased with 8 per cent increase in judgments
UAE May 23, 2016 – Dubai Courts has launched today (Monday, May 23, 2016) its Annual Report 2015, reflecting a significant improvement in the performance of the three courts; namely, First Instance, Appeal and Court of Cassation and a remarkable progress in Dubai Government’s Unified Customer Complaints’ Portal, smart transformation, and Emiratization. It also achieved the targets of its Operational Plan 2015 which aimed to boost the trust in the judicial system regionally and globally, promote the effectiveness of internal performance, and attract qualified human resources through an incentive program. The Annual Report was unveiled during a special ceremony held at the Rashid Hall in Dubai Courts building in the presence of H.E. Tarish Eid Al Mansouri, Director General of Dubai Courts; Judge H.E. Abdul Kader Musa, Deputy Director, Dubai Courts; and other senior officials, judges and legal advisers.
The 2015 Report revealed that Dubai Courts has recorded an exemplary performance in Dubai Government’s Unified Customer Complaints’ Portal, achieving 95 per cent success rate when compared with Dubai Government’s 75 per cent target for “solved complaints rate during 7 working days’ index.” Complaints, on the other hand, reached 3 per cent compared with the target of 10 per cent.
In Emiratization, the report indicates an increase of 6 per cent in the number of qualified citizens employed in the courts during the last year. The rate of Emiratization in the ‘Leadership’ category peaked to 96 per cent in 2015 with 1 per cent growth in comparison to 2014, while it reached 60 per cent in the ‘Executive and Supervisor’ categories with an increase of 1 per cent, reflecting Dubai Courts’ focus on increasing Emiratization within all employment categories. The rate of Emiratization remains steady within judicial categories at 34 per cent.
Further, the report revealed Dubai Courts achievements in smart transformation, where 1 million beneficiaries used e-gate and smart platform to finalize their legal transactions, which can be done from anywhere in the world by using 217 smart services. The court’s smart platform received 70,000 smart requests, while customers have registered 30,000 cases online since the beginning of the last year. The figures affirm Dubai Courts success in completely transforming all its services into smart platform, following the vision of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to make Dubai the world’s smartest city within the few next years.
In terms of the three performance indexes for the three courts, the report points out that the rate for finalizing the cases in Dubai Courts was 95 per cent for 2015, with an increase of 13 per cent in registered cases compared to 2014 and 8 per cent increase in judicial decisions. The labour court achieved judgment period of 48 days.
H.E. Tarish Eid Al Mansouri stated that the 2015 Annual Report reaffirms Dubai Courts commitment to work according to the wise leadership approach to make Dubai the world’s most developed nations by 2021. He said that the last year’s positive results are the outcome of the unremitting efforts to attain excellence in the court’s work by creating a strong legal environment and integrated judicial system supported by justice, equality, independence and innovation in providing legal services as per the best international standards of reliability, transparency and quality.
“We are proud of Dubai Courts’ achievements which is keen to promote the collective work and integration with other related entities to ensure providing a legal environment that supports the stability, safety and well-being of the local community. There is no doubt that our achievements within smart transformation, Emiratization, and general performance is the result of the continuous support of H.H. Sheikh Maktoum Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Judicial Council. We should not forget the role of our qualified human resources who have been a key support in our ambitious plans to stay ahead in the technological development within the legal services to complement Dubai’s comprehensive growth. We always aspire for excellence as per the strategic document 2016-2019 which gives us new responsibilities to promote our contributions to UAE Vision 2021 to build Safe Public and Fair Judiciary,” added Al Mansouri.
Dubai Courts launched several initiatives which yielded significant results in promoting the trust of all judicial entities regionally and globally. The most important among these is the success of the ‘Centre for Amicable Settlement of Disputes’ to solve disputes within 30 minutes as well as solving civil, commercial and property disputes through consensus, thereby saving billions of dirhams. It also reflects Dubai Courts fundamental role in promoting the UAE and Dubai as a leading global hub for business and investment. The courts attained top position in the judicial work in the Middle East’s ‘Doing Business Report 2015’ issued by the World Bank after it jumped 103 positions from 2014’s 121 to reach 18th rank last year.
In terms of effectively and efficiently promoting the internal performance, senior management formulated the ‘Leading Council for Institutional Development and Creativity’ to promote Dubai Courts’ competitiveness globally. On the other hand, it established the ‘Consultation Council’ as a leading step towards opening new channels of communication with strategic partners for expressing opinions, thoughts and suggestions to achieve desired goals of providing accurate, easy, quick and independent judicial services through fairness, transparency, innovation and teamwork.
The report also revealed that Dubai Courts’ commitment to innovate through smart applications have reduced personal follow up by 80 per cent, thereby achieving the wise leadership vision to build the creative future government that is able to ensure happiness of its citizens and prosperity of the society. To complement this, two bundles of smart innovative services has been launched, including 30 and 80 services through the smart application, taking the total smart services to 217 by end of 2015. It also confirms Dubai Courts’ success to achieve 100 per cent smart transformation, following the efforts to accelerate the process of legal and judicial transactions using the most advanced technology innovations in line with Dubai Plan 2021 to build creative and proactive government that is capable of meeting future needs. The courts’ innovative services portfolio provides positive results in achieving customers’ happiness and satisfaction as well as the local society’s prosperity. The most important is ‘Smart Booking,’ ‘E-Notary,’ ‘E-Pay,’ ‘E-Judge,’ ‘Smart Petitions,’ ‘Advertising Notes,’ and ‘Documents Security System.’
The Annual Report also elaborates on Dubai Courts’ efforts to attract and develop qualified human resources through its various innovative initiatives and interactive workshops that focuses on several subjects. Initiatives such as Effective Leadership, Dubai Excellence Government Program, and Stars of Excellence Program 2015 encouraged employees to showcase creativity, innovation and excellence to ensure their loyalty. The courts joined ‘My Family Read’ initiative launched by H.H. Sheikh Ahmed Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation, to ensure the spread, transfer and localization of knowledge. Many appellate Judges have been honoured for their contribution to promote the performance results. Certificates of appreciation have been distributed to winners of the 8th ‘Dubai Excellence Government Program’ in appreciation of their high levels of government excellence.
The report highlighted the achievements of 2015 which includes receiving the distinguished local, regional and international awards that recognizes Dubai Courts’ role in promoting the legal and judicial excellence in the UAE. It mentions about the courts three awards at the 12th Stevie Award, which is the best global award for institutional creativity and excellence and international affairs, including the ‘Innovation Leader,’ ‘Best Customer Department,’ ‘Excellence in Customer Service.’ The reports also talk about Dubai Courts’ participation in the 8th Dubai Excellence Government Program 2015, where it received three awards – ‘Creative Idea,’ ‘Most Committed Department in the National Identity’ which was won by its ‘My Awareness My Identity Team,’ and the ‘Creative Employee Award’ for one of the courts’ employee.
Dubai Courts winning the Creativity Award in the Golden Category at the Annual Conference for OutSystems in Portugal for Smart Requests Application also finds mention in the report alongside the e-Government Excellence Award for the ‘smart application’ during the 6th Competition for the Best Smart Applications for Arab Governments in Kuwait.
Lastly, the annual report elaborates on Dubai Courts’ strategic document 2016-2019 which aim to create pioneering and distinct global courts that is eligible to deliver justice with independence, transparency, innovation and team work. The document identifies the most prominent trends for the next three years, focusing on the development of judicial system to enhance customer happiness and improve economic, technical, legal and social climate in Dubai and the UAE. This will contribute in attracting international capitals through the development of litigation in the area of contract enforcement procedures and resolving insolvency competitive state to promote standards in accordance with the "World Bank".