Digital Economy Court (DEC) Division

The DIFC Courts launched a new set of industry-first specialised Rules for its recently formed Digital Economy Court (DEC) Division.

In addition, leading international judicial expertise has been recruited to oversee and operate the new Court’s cutting-edge digital infrastructure and service capabilities. Under Decree No. 29 of 2022, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has appointed Justice Michael Black of England & Wales, who will oversee the Digital Economy Court Division.

Following the announcement of the dedicated Division in 2021, a global panel of lawyers, led by Tom Montagu-Smith KC and Matthew Watson of 3VB Chambers, and industry experts, were tasked to draft and confirm new specialised Rules, which were also subject to a 30-day public consultation and finalised under the supervision of Justice Michael Black.

Reviewed and approved by His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, and President of the DIFC, the new ‘Part 58’ of the DIFC Courts Rules will facilitate the efficient and modern resolution of digital economy disputes, standardising the use of smart forms to provide information through a dynamic, artificial intelligence driven platform. In line with the Courts’ paperless mandate, cases will also be conducted using advanced digital systems to expedite service to parties and enforcement, with a view to reducing the environmental impact of court proceedings.

In 2021, the DIFC Courts established the Digital Economy Court Division to oversee sophisticated national and transnational disputes related to current and emerging technologies across areas ranging from big data, blockchain, AI, fintech, and cloud services, to disputes also involving unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), 3D printing, and robotics.

In 2022, the DIFC Courts issued a judgment in the case of (1) Gate Mena DMCC (2) Huobi Mena FZE v (1) Tabarak Investment Capital Limited (2) Christian Thurner which related to one of the first cryptocurrency litigation disputes in the region and one of the few reported cases anywhere in the world which addresses issues such as the safe transfer of cryptocurrency between buyer and seller and the obligations owed by a custodian of cryptocurrency. This case gave rise to various other interesting questions such as the nature of Bitcoins, i.e., whether cryptocurrencies are considered commodities, currencies, properties, or something entirely different, and the appropriate time to value Bitcoins.

From November 26 - 27, the DIFC Courts held a virtual Moot Court, inviting 18 teams of international law students and 25 qualified judges to hold a two-day competition to test-proof the new DEC Rules across a dispute involving cryptocurrency.

Judicial

Judges

Judicial Officer

Offer

Judicial Support Office

Senior Judicial Assistant

Judicial Assistant

Registry

Ayesha Bin Kalban Registrar

Shahla Al Ghareeb

Case Progression Officer

Sharini Abdulsabur Jaji

Customer Service & Compliance Officer

Delvin Sumo Assistant Registrar

Alanood AlRiyami Case Progression Officer

Sultan AlSuwaidi Compliance Officer

Internal Audit & Business Excellence

Dulanee De Abrew

Head of Internal Audit & Business Excellence

Human Resources

Samia Al Rajaby

HR Operations & Facilities

Management Manager

Arleen Lazo

Senior HR Officer

Communications Department

Michael Byrne

Head of Communications

Maryam AlBastaki

Officer – Strategic Communications

Hayley Norton Assistant Registrar

Hamad Sulaiman Care Progression Officer

Shahin Shaikh

Senior Registry Administrator

Digital & Data

Arul Vigin Head of Digital & Data

Adil Khan

Senior Infrastructure EngineerDigital & Data

Ajaz Wani

Saeed Al Dahmani

Case Progression Officer & Baliff

Nilofer D‘souza Compliance Officer

Saba Piracha

Ancillary Services Support & Compliance Officer

Finance Department

Roserfinalyn Quinto

Head of Finance

Cherilyn Del Mundo

Accountant

Santosh Gowda

Accountant Support Staff

Kamal Hossain Courts Clerk

Simon Kabiru

Courts Clerk

Executive Administrative Operations Director’s Office

Stefan Rodrigo Courts Clerk

Ahmed Al Kamali

Government & International Relations & Chief Justice Office Manager

Cheryl Fernandes

Senior Executive Assistant to the Director

Operations Engineer - Digital & Data

Mercedes Oharriz

Senior Executive Assistant & Chief Registrar/Chief Operating Officer