Who will get the custody of the child as per the UAE law?

Family Law

A breakdown of marriage is always a sensitive matter. It can be even more complicated if children are involved.
So if this happens, who will get the custody of the children as per the UAE law?
With the experience of working with many families for over the years, it is apparent that child custody is one the hardest and emotional thing that the couple’s faces when they are decide to end a marriage.
When people get into the conflict of the custody dispute or a nasty divorce, they tend to choose hatred which can lead to worsening the situation and increases conflict. If they choose to deal with it with hatred, the problem cannot be resolved.
This is the time when to decide to consult with a lawyer to get to know their rights and entitlements for custody.
When I start mediation to reconcile between the parties, my aim is not to come out of that meeting to win but to but to hear from the parties and to decrease their conflict as much as possible. My first advice to them is not to split the children and secondly to look after their best interests. 90% percent of the cases are resolved amicably but we have also a number of cases where the parties choose not to agree to write the settlement agreement or does not work due to other reasons such as a party being outside of the country. In this article, I want to share a few things I know:-

1. First of all, UAE courts are accepting the cases and application from citizens and residents or if the marriage has been registered here in UAE courts.
2. We have a Muslim and non-Muslim category for family case registrations.
3. The parties can agree if they do not want the Sharia ’a law to apply and insist to proceed according their home country law. While if the father has a different nationality than the mother, in this case the court can decide whether Sharia law will apply or the law of the father’s home country.
4. In accordance to Sharia’a law, the mother shall have the right of her children‘s custody in case of dispute over the custody unless the judge decided otherwise for the child’s interest. The guardianship over the minor children is granted to the Father which shall include safekeeping, managing and investing his property. It shall be the duty of the child’s father to handle his affairs, correct, guide and educate him.
5. As per Article no. 146 of Federal Law No. (28) of 2005 On Personal Status; the right of the child’s custody shall be awarded to his mother, then to mahram women, provided that maternal relatives shall have precedence over paternal relatives, that the closest relative on the two sides shall be considered except the father in the following order, and that the judge shall consider the child’s interest when he decide his right;

a) The mother.

b) The father.

c) The grandmother, from the mother’s side, and upwards.

d) The grandmother, from the father’s side and upwards.

e) The sisters, giving preference to the full sister, then to the stepsister from the mother’s side, then the stepsister from the father’s side.

f) The daughter of the full sister.

g) The daughter of the stepsister from the mother’s side.

h) The aunts from the mother’s side, in the same order as the sisters.

i) The daughter of the stepsister from the father’s side.

j) The daughters of the brother in the same order as the sisters.

k) The aunts from the father’s side, in the above order.

l) The mother’s aunts from the maternal side, in the above order.

m) The father’s aunts from the maternal side, in the above order.

n) The mother’s aunts from the paternal side, in the above order.

o) The father’s aunts from the paternal side, in the above order.
6. If parents are not exist and the persons entitle to custody reject it, the judge shall choose a suitable person from the child’s relatives or others or a qualified institution for such purpose.

For any further information, please feel free to comment here in below or email us.
N.rahmannejadi@araalaw.com

What does the law say about late rent payment?

Civil Law

While tenants are struggling to pay their rent during the COVID-19 pandemic, the landlord’s rights are still secured to claim the rent cheques from the tenants unless the landrod agree to defer the rent temporarily.

In the current situation, it is genuinely encouraging to be witness many developers taking this situation into consideration and considering their commercial profit secondary to their humanitarian concern. They have provided the tenants with more flexibility for their payments. For example, a 2-month grace period which can be further extended or to split the payments into more separate PDC.
Properties investment (PI)- a Dubai Investments joint-venture company engaged in the investment and development of real estate – has announced a 3-month rent relief for all retailers within ‘The Market’ – a dedicated retail avenue, located in the Green Community, Dubai Investments Park.

Meanwhile Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Judicial Council, temporarily suspended all eviction judgements related to residential and commercial facilities in the UAE during March and April, according to a Wednesday 25th of March statement from the Dubai Media Office. The directive also stopped all “imprisonment judgements” linked to rental disputes. However, the ruling does not apply to abandoned homes.

With that said, “While landlords have a robust list of rights to protect them if a tenant cannot pay their rent, under rental laws facilitated by the Real Estate Regulatory Agency,
“their priorities right now are to the well-being and safeguarding of tenants”, the Dubai land department said.

The situation changes by the hours so it’s best to keep a close eye on any development and updates on our page or website.

Validity of the online signature on contracts in courts or legal cases.

General UAE Law

In accordance to the Article (17) of Federal Law No. (1) of 2006 On Electronic Commerce and Transactions;

1. A signature shall be treated as a Secure Electronic Signature if, through the application of a prescribed Secure Authentication Procedure or a commercially reasonable Secure Authentication Procedure agreed to by the parties involved, it can be verified that an Electronic Signature was, at the time it was made:
a) unique to the person using it;
b) capable of identifying such person;
c) was, at the time of signing, under the sole control of the Signatory in terms of the creation data and the means used; and
d) linked to the Electronic Record to which it relates in a manner which provides reliable assurance as to the integrity of the signature such that if the record was changed the Electronic Signature would be invalidated.

2. Absent proof to the contrary, reliance on a Secure Electronic Signature is deemed reasonable.

In addition, It is also important to consider the following:
1. The jurisdiction by which the agreement or document will need to be recognized and/or enforced. If another jurisdiction than the UAE is involved, it is important to consider their own laws regarding e-signatures;
2. Where an e-signature is being relied on (other than pursuant to Article 17 of the E-Commerce Law), whether such reliance would be considered reasonable by the courts (factors the courts would consider are set out above); and
3. Whether the type of document with respect to which the e-signature is used may be signed by way of e-signature under the e-commerce law.

The use of e-signatures also imposes additional duties on a signer, set out under Article 19 of Federal Law No.1 of 2006. There may be repercussions if these duties are not fulfilled. These duties include notifying concerned persons, without any unjustifiable delay, in the instance of finding out the signer’s signature tool was or may have been exposed to safety risks based on circumstances or facts made known to him/her.

As long as the requirements set out above are fulfilled, there should be no significant risk that the UAE courts not consider the e-signatures valid and the Signatory shall bear the legal consequences.

Salary Cuts Aimed Corona-virus Outbreak

Employment Law

In accordance to the Ministerial resolution No. (279) of 2020 on Employment Stability in privet sector during the period of Application of Precautionary Measures to curb the spread of Novel Coronavirus ; All the establishments affected by such precautionary measure and wishing to recognize their work shall progressively with their actions. In agreement with non-national workers as follows:
1. Implement remote working system.
2. Grant paid leave,
3. Grant unpaid leave.
4. Temporary salary reduction during the referenced period.
5. Permanent salary reduction.
Establishment wishing to temporally reduce the salaries of non-national workers during the said period shall;

1. Make a temporarily supplement to the employment contract between the parties thereto, using the template attached hereto, provided that the same expires by the expiry of its term or validity period of this Resolution, whichever is earlier.
2. Renew the supplement mentioned in paragraph ((1) of this article by agreement of both parties
3. Execute the supplement mentioned in paragraph (1) of this article in two copies, one copy for each party, provided that the employer provides such supplement to the Ministry, when so required.

Electronic Bail Instead of Passport in Dubai

Uncategorized

Electronic Bail Instead of Passport in Dubai

Gulf News-Dubai: A newly launched smart initiative by Dubai Police since January 2018 in J.A. Police Station enables the suspects involved in certain misdemeanors to keep their passports in their control and not have them seized by prosecutors.

Suspects, who involve in particular offenses, can start obtaining an electronic bail without having to keep their passports or those of their guarantors in the possession of the Dubai Public Prosecution as per the ‘Smart Bail’ initiative, Prosecutor General Ali Humaid Bin Khatem told Gulf News on Monday.

Offense cases

The service applies on suspects involved in misdemeanor cases of crimes such as bounce cheques, cursing/insulting, breach of trust, drinking alcohol, assault and petit embezzlement and thefts and other minor offences.

As per the smart bail, the suspects will not be asked to give up their passport but they will not be allowed to leave the UAE. This initiative acts as an ‘electronic guarantee’ that the suspect attends the prosecution’s investigation or the trial.

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