H.H. Sheikh Mohammed issues expert witness law

A new law that regulates expert witness services has been issued by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

It's aimed at providing judicial departments with legally and technically qualified experts who can facilitate the swift dispensation of proceedings, accurately.

The expert witness is defined as someone who is able to provide the court or public prosecution with verbal or written insights based on their expertise.

According to a resolution issued by the Chairman of the Dubai Judicial Council, a set of rules and regulations will be formulated by the Experts Affairs Committee set up by the Dubai Courts.

This will also determine their fees and approve their code of conduct.

The courts will also establish a unit that will be in charge of registration and classification of the experts. This will oversee and evaluate their work, review any grievances against them, and submit recommendations to the Experts Affairs Committee.

Under the new law, those who have not registered in the Dubai Courts' experts register are prohibited from taking part in any legal proceedings. Exceptions will only be made to those assigned special tasks by the authority.

All individuals currently registered must comply with this law on renewal of their registration or within a year of the law coming into effect. This Law annuls any other legislation that contradicts or challenges its articles.

The new law will be published in the Official Gazette and is effective from the date of its publication.