Saudi Arabia has begun to explore extracting lithium from sea water
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Individuals and business owners can file a small claims case and attend a hearing without going to court, thanks to the 'smart court' initiative announced on Monday.
DIFC Courts has collaborated with Alpha Data, a system integrator, to launch the GCC's first smart Small Claims Tribunal (SCT) that allows both parties in dispute, as well as the judge, to access the case from remote locations on smartphones and computers.
The 'smart' court, built on Microsoft infrastructure, allows individuals and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) enables parties to participate in a hearing from anywhere in the world through video conferencing technology via Skype or Polycom.
DIFC courts handles cases with a limit of up to Dh 500,000, but there is no ceiling on employment cases, provided parties agree to opt in.
"The facility will be particularly beneficial to business owners who travel extensively for business. They will no longer need to change business travel plans to attend a hearing," said Amna Sultan Al Owais, Chief Operating Officer at DIFC Courts.
She added, "It will now just be a matter of scheduling 1-2 hours into their schedule, wherever they are in the world."
Via the new technology, tenants who have departed from the UAE and employees both in and out of Dubai with employment contract issues, can resolve their disputes by remotely attending their consultations and hearings.
DIFC Courts created the first Small Claims Tribunal (SCT) in 2007, which has grown popular among the UAE's SME sector.
Its workload almost doubled in 2015, from 116 to 216 cases, where 90 per cent of all cases are resolved within four weeks.
The new smart initiative is in line with Dubai's bid to transform into a smart city.
sherouk@khaleejtimes.com
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