Dubai, United Arab Emirates; 6 November 2018: Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Courts are pleased to announce that His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has issued Decrees No. (33) and (34) of 2018, appointing Justice Zaki bin Azmi as Chief Justice of the DIFC Courts and HE Justice Omar Juma Al Fajeer Al Muhairi as Deputy Chief Justice of DIFC Courts. Decree No. (33) of 2018 is effective from 14 November 2018, while Decree No. (34) of 2018 is effective from its date of issuance.
Appointed as Deputy Chief Justice from 2005-2010 and Chief Justice from 2010-2018, Dr Michael Hwang, SC, retires from the DIFC Courts after a tenure of over 13 years of service. During this time, served by international, Emirati and specialised judges with a total of over 300 years of experience, the DIFC Courts have built a consistently strong track record of handling complex transnational disputes.
Speaking about his new role, Zaki bin Azmi, Chief Justice of the DIFC Courts, commented: “I feel honoured and grateful to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum for having faith and confidence in me to lead the DRA and the DIFC Courts to greater heights and to continue the great work in building one of the world’s leading commercial courts.”
Justice Zaki bin Azmi joined the DIFC Courts in December 2013, following a long-distinguished career in Malaysia where he served as Chief Justice of Malaysia for three years, and President of the Court of Appeal. He was directly appointed as a Federal Judge, the first time in Malaysia’s judicial history that a practicing lawyer was directly appointed to such a position.
HE Justice Omar Juma Al Fajeer Al Muhairi joined Dubai Financial Services Authority in 2004 as a consultant. He was appointed as Senior Judicial Officer in DIFC Courts in 2005, and as an Appeal Judge of the DIFC Courts in 2008. During his tenure as a Judge, HE Justice Al Muhairi has dealt with a large number of major criminal, commercial and civil cases.
