Revised Practice Guidance for Court users has been published, delineating essential protocols including disclosure, witness testimony, appeals, dramatis personae, chronologies, and bundles. Further, parties have been furnished with standardised instructions that illustrate the customary course of events in a case.
In a continued effort to provide modern, accessible justice services to all, QICDRC launched its new website in 2022, providing easy access to information on Court services, judgments, partnerships, and initiatives. The new website is designed with an easy-to-use interface and comprehensive information, making it simpler for visitors to navigate and find the information they need.
The Qatar Lawyers Association and QICDRC signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to mark a new partnership between the two parties. The signing of the MOU took place during the International Sports Conference held on October 26, with CEO Faisal Rashid Al-Sahouti in attendance. This new partnership will create further opportunities for collaboration between the two entities and will ensure the highest standards of fairness, transparency, and efficiency in the administration of justice in Qatar.
QICDRC introduced a new Practice Direction for Small Claims with a maximum value of QAR 100,000. This new Practice Direction has substantially shortened the time to reach a judgment on small claims, allowing for cases to be determined on the papers or virtually without associated filing fees. The initiative reflects QICDRC’s dedication to offering efficient, accessible justice services to all parties.
In a move that further advances its position as a specialised judicial authority locally and regionally, the jurisdiction of the QICDRC has expanded to include the Qatar Free Zones and the Qatar Free Zones Authority (QFZA) as well as matters that are referred to the Court or Regulatory tribunal by any Law in the State. Law No. 14 and Law No. 15 of 2021 were published in the Official Gazette on 14 September 2021, effectively broadening the jurisdiction of both the Civil and Commercial Court and the Regulatory Tribunal.
Earlier in the year, the QCDRC’s First Instance Circuit issued a Note of its Ruling in the case of C v D, clarifying its jurisdiction under the new Arbitration Law in Civil and Commercial Matters (No 2 of 2017). The ruling effectively confirmed the Court's status as a court of choice for international parties, even if they are not established in the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC), thereby strengthening the parties’ confidence in selecting QICDRC as the competent court of arbitration.
Following recent Government directives and as part of its continued effort to enhance access to justice, the QICDRC has unveiled its newly renovated eCourt, a state-of-the-art specialised electronic case management system. eCourt is safe and secure, free to use, accessible from all portable devices, and available in English and Arabic to ensure round-the-clock access to the Court services from anywhere in the world.
The Qatar International Court welcomed a Kuwaiti judicial delegation from the Court of Cassation, including Undersecretaries Counsellors Ishaq Hussein Al-Kandari, Mishaal Ahmad Al-Jerawi, and Mohammed Ahmed Al-Sayed Al-Rifai, as well as GCC Legal Affairs representative, Nayef Al-Otaibi. The delegation was received by Qatar International Court CEO, Faisal Al-Sahouti, and Qatar International Court Enforcement Judge, Rashid Al-Badr. The visit reiterated the commitment between Qatar and Kuwait to enhance knowledge exchange in the judicial field.
Through its supervisory arbitrational jurisdiction under Law No 2 of 2017 issuing the Arbitration Law in Civil and Commercial Matters, parties can elect the QICDRC as the “Competent Court” of arbitration to perform various functions in relation to interim measures, enforcement of awards and appeals.
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