Abu Dhabi: In light of its approaching 40th anniversary, the Federal Supreme Court (FSC) has highlighted its eagerness to employ female Emirati judicial experts, officials said on Tuesday. Currently, there are no female judges in the top court.
Dr Abdul Wahab Abddool, the Chief Justice of the Union Supreme Court (USC), told the press that from its third decade in operation, one of the court’s major achievements included the involvement of Emirati men and women as lawyers, judges and department heads.
“Therefore, we aim to honour those veterans and pioneers in the legal field in an award ceremony that will take place on the 21st and 22nd of this month,” Dr Abdool, who has been with the USC since 1995, said.
“We are also celebrating our 40 years, instead of the standard 50 years, or Golden Jubilee, because of the significance this number holds within our Arabic and Muslim culture. It is the embodiment and representation of the mental maturity associated with a 40-year lifespan,” he added.
Now, after completing four decades, the USC hopes to hire more tech-savvy experts, bilinguals and holders of higher degrees in law.
“Additionally, our future employees will be new-age experts aware of other vital and surrounding cases, such as those involving human rights,” Dr Abdool said.
National security cases
The FSC is made up of 11 sectors, each with their own judges and section heads. The cases which the USC deals with are those which have already passed through the Courts of First Instance and Court of Appeals. The USC normally handles cases regarding national security and a special department has the right to overrule or uphold verdicts issued by the Court of Appeals.
“We see up to 1,000 cases per year, with the most common being financially related, involving banks, insurance companies and logistics. However, we do have to approve any death sentences as these are automatically sent to the Court of Appeals and the USC. Judges, therefore, who have to look into such cases, face a greater pressure than judges from lower courts. This is because they have to examine and study every single detail and ensure that no errors have been made,” Dr Abdool told Gulf News.
Overall, the official said, the majority of verdicts are upheld. “In the rare event that a case needs to be studied again, we send the case over to the Court of Appeals for reconsideration,” he added.
Dr Abdool advised members of the public to educate themselves on UAE law by referring to pamphlets and manuals issued by the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department. He also stressed the importance of seeking legal advice from firms and experts before making any major deals or taking steps that may have penal consequences.
