President of Investment and Trade Court: New Electronic Project Will Launch in 2024

Doha, December 25 (QNA) - HE President of the Investment and Trade Court Judge Khalid bin Ali Al Obaidly stressed that the Court is amidst continuous development to achieve its goals, revealing that there is a plan to bring about comprehensive development of the electronic system for registering claims and the stages associated with litigation, as the Court is keen to simplify claims and litigation procedures and reduce the duration of litigation in order to enhance access to fair and swift justice at the same time.
    In an interview with Al-Sharq newspaper, he explained that the new plan includes a very advanced electronic project, which will see the light during the first quarter of 2024, noting that it is a flexible and advanced electronic system, as it will ease litigation procedures, starting from filing the lawsuit until the end of the trial. The expertise, experiences and systems of international technology companies were reviewed, and an agreement was reached with a specialized Singaporean company to implement it, he added.
    Judge Al Obaidly said that the Court has proven its necessary and essential presence in enhancing the investment climate and developing commercial activities in the country recently, pointing out that it has received thousands of cases related to the investment and trade sector and decided on cases that met the procedures and conditions in a short time, compared to international standards. This proves that it has basically achieved it goal, he said, stressing that the Court is sparing no effort in creating a safe legal and judicial environment that keeps pace with the latest legislation and intellectual developments related to trade and investment, which contributes to enhancing an attractive investment environment.
    Regarding the cooperation relations with the commercial, investment and financial sectors and bodies in the country, he said that the relationship between the Court and the various financial and investment sectors of the country is a complementary relationship, noting that one of the reasons for the shortening of the case’s time frame and the speedy resolution of it is due to concluding agreements and MOU with the Qatar Association of Certified Public Accountants and the Qatar Society of Engineers on the judicial aspect, adding that Qatar University provides the Court with administrative and legal competencies in all fields.
    His Excellency emphasized the need for a specialized court in the investment and trade sector, which is a vital requirement that came in implementation of the Qatar National Vision 2030, and in fulfillment of the Judiciary Supreme Council’s program to develop judicial systems and create a specialized judiciary; therefore, the presence of the Investment Court is important and necessary and came at the right time to promote development in this vital sector.
    He noted that the presence of a court specialized in investment and trade cases provides reassuring messages to local and foreign investors, through the application of a list of clear, precise, concise and electronic procedures for filing lawsuits and implementing the litigation process in general. This helps in strengthening investors’ confidence in the judiciary and contributes directly to attracting foreign investments, enhancing investment environment and encouraging the establishment of local companies to serve the development process, he explained.
    Regarding the most prominent achievements made among the Court’s objectives, he said that one of the objectives of establishing this specialized court in the business, trade and investment sector is to speed up the settlement of commercial disputes by applying flexible procedures to settle them in accordance with modern international standards, in addition to protecting rights and promoting transparency and equal opportunities, as the Court was distinguished by its case management system that included a set of simplified and modern procedures for filing commercial cases, which led to shortening the time period of the case. The Court witnessed the first application of the case management system in the State of Qatar, which aims to speed up judicial procedures and prepare them before presenting them to the court in preparation for adjudication.
    He stressed that the Court has proven its necessary presence in enhancing the investment climate and developing commercial activities in the country during the last period, by adjudicating many related cases, in addition to cooperating with experts in the field of business and investment, adding that the Court has received strong support from the State and related institutions, which enabled it to work effectively and carry out its tasks efficiently.
    He explained that the Investment and Trade Court intends to update its statistics continuously to evaluate the level of services provided to the public. In the latest case statistics since the Court began its work on May 10, 2022 and until November 30, 2023, the list of electronic registration and applications shows that a total of 27,412 applications were registered, of which 16,574 were transferred into a lawsuit, while 12,635 final judgments were issued.
    He added that these various lawsuits fall within the jurisdiction of the Investment Court according to the law, and they are 12 jurisdictions corresponding to 22 legal legislation, including disputes between partners, banks, insurance, trademarks, maritime transport, and sub-specializations, which fall within the jurisdictions. The rate of lawsuit registration on the electronic portal reached 97%. This is considered a qualitative achievement for the judiciary.
    He also said that the investor’s obtaining his rights by quickly adjudicating his claim with the other party, whether it is an investor or a company, certainly contributes to supporting the business and investment environment, and enhances the confidence of all parties in the national economy. The speed of resolving commercial disputes is considered an essential factor in attracting and promoting investments.
    At the conclusion of his statement, he stressed that the Court is sparing no effort in creating a safe legal and judicial environment that keeps pace with the latest legislation and intellectual developments related to trade and investment, which contributes to enhancing an attractive investment environment. (QNA)