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Review of UAE Law in context of Construction law provisions 28th September 2013
Presented by: R. Venkat, FCIArb, FCMA LLM (Const Law), B.Eng, C.Eng
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Civil
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Construction lawyer
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PROPOSED WALK-THROUGH
Categories of Law Common law Versus Civil law Middle eastern law What is UAE Civil Code? Does it address all Construction related issues? Is it only based on Sharia Law? Law of Contract; Important provisions
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CATEGORIES OF LAW
Common law Contract law
Civil law
Case law
CATEGORIES OF LAW
Legal systems
Civil law Common law
Source of law
Case law
Statute
Regulation
Civil law Criminal law
Applicability
Private law Public law
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Code Napoleon French Influence Circa 1800 Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, Louisiana and Quebec
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Involves enforcement including sentence to prison Public Prosecutor prosecutes the defendant (accused)
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PROPOSED WALK-THROUGH
Categories of Law Common law Versus Civil law Middle eastern law What is UAE Civil Code? Does it address all Construction related issues? Is it only based on Sharia Law? Law of Contract; Important provisions
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of the presence of international law firms (in UAE) with common law roots, many contracts which have been drafted in the UAE appear to have been influenced by common law principles. This has created difficulties in the application of the law to these contracts by the courts of the UAE since judicial authority does not recognize some of the principles or the practices of the common law system
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Time at large Prevention principle Fitness for purpose Pre estimated LDs
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COMMON LAW
1. Source of law
Mainly from case law from previous judgments. Statutes are also referred.
CIVIL LAW
Mostly based Codified legislation. Case law is mostly irrelevant (notable exception French Tort law which is fully based on case law) Codes are concise, state broad principles only
Statutes are detailed with definitions and contain lengthy enumerations of specific applications and exceptions
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COMMON LAW
2. Principle of precedents
Judges are subject to doctrine of stare decisis Decisions from Upper Courts must be respected and followed Hierarchical structure
CIVIL LAW
Judges are bound by Code and facts and not on precedents! Court of Cassation judgments are referred for understanding of law
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COMMON LAW
3. Interpretation of Contracts
Respects freedom of Contract
Primary focus on the written words in the contract. Parol evidence
CIVIL LAW
Interest of fairness (as against freedom of contract)
Primary focus on the wider context and intentions of the parties Not limited to literal meaning of the terms. Evidence of negotiation is admissible Mandatory provisions cant be excluded Tribunals have power to rewrite the parties agreement
prevents a party to a written contract from presenting extrinsic evidence that contradicts or adds to the written terms of the contract that appears to be whole.
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COMMON LAW
4. Judicial procedure
Parties collect evidence and present More reliance on evidence of fact, oral arguments Parties appoint experts Judges are appointed from senior lawyers in practice
CIVIL LAW
Judge plays main role in collecting evidence Trials are based on written evidence Court appoints the experts Judges are separately trained and appointed
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Summary: The Court of Appeal re-stated the test to be applied when assessing whether there was privity of interest between a new party and a party to previous proceedings, so as to prevent the new party litigating the same matter.
Abstract: The appellant patent proprietor (L) appealed against a decision ([2013] EWHC 739 (Pat)) that the respondent company (R) was not precluded from bringing proceedings to challenge the validity of L's patent. Appeal dismissed. (1) A judgment that a patent was valid determined issues only between the parties to the revocation action. Judge: Longmore, L.J.; Moore-Bick, L.J.; Floyd, L.J. Significant Cases Cited Special Effects Ltd v L'Oreal SA [2007] EWCA Civ 1; [2007] Bus. L.R. 759; Legislation Cited Patents Act 1977 (c.37) s.65; Patents Act 1977 (c.37) s.72
S A M P L E U K C O U R T
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Keywords: 1.Muqawala; obligation - description of obligation - condition and term - condition; 2.Contract - interpretation of contract; trial court - jurisdiction over questions of fact contract - interpretation of contract; 3.Proof - burden of proof; contract - effects of contract; obligation - description of obligation condition and term - condition; 4.Contract - making of contract; trial court - jurisdiction over questions of fact - contract interpretation of contract; 5.Judges - competence; Legislation referred to: 3. Civil Code articles 243, 420, 423 and 425 4. Civil Code - articles 130, 131 and 132 5. Law of Civil Procedures - article 114 1. The appellant company made an offer in a letter to the respondent company, and that offer was met with an implied acceptance by the latter company by its carrying out the works as set out in the letter. Thus, there was a contract made between the parties, containing the condition in the contract made between the appellant company and the head contractor,
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PROPOSED WALK-THROUGH
Categories of Law Common law Versus Civil law Middle eastern law What is UAE Civil Code? Does it address all Construction related issues? Is it only based on Sharia Law? Law of Contract; Important provisions
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MIDDLE-EASTERN LAW
Neither common law nor purely based on civil code
No single uniform Middle East or Arab law Arab law is mixture of Islamic law and French civil code Egyptian Civil Code is the first Arab law enacted
OTTOMAN EMPIRE
Created by Turkish tribes in Anatolia. One of the most powerful states in the world during the 15th and 16th centuries. Spanned more than 600 years and came to an end in 1922.
Empire included modern Hungary, Serbia, Bosnia, Romania, Greece, and Ukraine; Iraq, Syria, Israel, and Egypt, North Africa as far west as Algeria; and most of the Arabian Peninsula.
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After the fall of Ottoman Empire, France and Britain took over different Arab countries.
Influence of French Civil Code grew in the Arab countries. Attempt to reconcile between the Sharia and the Western laws has began. The Egyptian Civil Code of 1948 was the first successful product. Legal scholar and professor Abd al-Razzq al-Sanhr (1895-1971) is the author of Egyptian Civil code.
His twelve-volume commentary on Civil code is a magnum opus (Al-Was f shar al-qnn al-madan al-jadd)
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Common law
Civil law
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Tourist View
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Tourist View
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Contractor s view
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LAWYERS VIEW
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PROPOSED WALK-THROUGH
Categories of Law Common law Versus Civil law Middle eastern law What is UAE Civil Code? Does it address all Construction related issues? Is it only based on Sharia Law? Law of Contract; Important provisions
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Formation of UAE 1971 Civil Code (Federal law 5) 1985 Civil Procedure Code, Federal Law No.(11) 1992 Commercial Transactions Act 1993 DIFC Law 2004
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Civil Code that is the most referred law in Court of Cassation judgments.
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PROPOSED WALK-THROUGH
Categories of Law Common law Versus Civil law Middle eastern law What is UAE Civil Code? Does it address all Construction related issues? Is it only based on Sharia Law? Law of Contract; Important provisions
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Wanted to reach India by sailing westward from Spain Landed in Bahamas instead
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Landed in Bahamas which he thought was Japan. Then went to Cuba which he declared as China Venkat
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DISCOVERY OF AMERICA
He never saw the main land of America, until his Third Voyage! (1498)
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Expanding civil codes into greater detail on the intricacies of specific aspects would be deemed as interventionist in most civil law-based jurisdictions.
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Quebec (Canada)
1425.
One must in agreements seek what the common intention of the contracting parties was, rather than pay attention to the literal meaning of the terms.
The common intention of the parties rather than adherence to the literal meaning of the words shall be sought in interpreting a contract.
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(2) If there is scope for interpretation of the contract, an enquiry shall be made into the mutual intentions of the parties without stopping at the literal meaning of the words ..
Corresponding articles from the civil codes of other countries: Jordan 239 and 240; Egypt 150 and 151; Syria 151 and 152
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Quebec (Canada)
1432.
In case of doubt, an agreement shall be interpreted against the one who has stipulated, and in favour of the one who has contracted the obligation
In case of doubt, a contract is interpreted in favour of the person who contracted the obligation and against the person who stipulated it.
Contract interpreted in favor of obligor In case of doubt that cannot be otherwise resolved, a contract must be interpreted against the obligee and in favor of the obligor of a particular obligation.
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This rule is adopted from Western jurisdictions. Common law doctrine Contra Proferentem
PROPOSED WALK-THROUGH
Categories of Law Common law Versus Civil law Middle eastern law What is UAE Civil Code? Does it address all Construction related issues? Is it only based on Sharia Law? Law of Contract; Important provisions
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Article 7 of the Constitution says: 'Islam is the official religion of the Federation and the Islamic Sharia is a main source of its legislation'.
One view is that since Federal laws shall be promulgated in accordance with the Constitution (Article 110), any law which is does not take Sharia as a source will be void because it violates the constitution. However this is a narrow interpretation. Note the construction of this Article: Sharia is a main source not the only source
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If the judge finds no provision in this Law, he must pass judgment according to the Islamic sharia.
So the Civil code states that Sharia law will be applicable only when the Civil code has no provision.
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Case involving Margin trading ( Abu Dhabi supreme court Case No. 164/2006)
Lower courts declared Margin trading is forbidden under Sharia. Federal Supreme Court held that commercial transactions are permissible unless they are shown to be expressly repugnant to Sharia. Margin Trading Agreements are referred to in the UAE Banking Law and hence it is presumed to be in accordance with Sharia. Accordingly, the Court held that Margin Trading Agreements were valid and enforceable under UAE law.
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Riba
Unjust enrichment
Gharar
Uncertainty
Due Process
Good faith
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PROPOSED WALK-THROUGH
Categories of Law Common law Versus Civil law Middle eastern law What is UAE Civil Code? Does it address all Construction related issues? Is it only based on Sharia Law? Law of Contract; Important provisions
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MUQAWALA CONTRACTS
Means a Contract to make a thing or perform a task In simple words, Works contract or Construction Contract
Definition and Scope Obligations of the Contractor Obligations of the Employer Subcontractor Termination of Contract
Article 871 to 874 Article 875 to 883 Article 884 to 889 Article 890 and 891 Article 892 to 896
25 Articles covering all aspects of Construction contracts Compare Articles 646 to 676 of Egyptian Civil Code
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MUQAWALA CONTRACTS
Article 874 A Muqawala Contract must provide description of subject matter of the contract, the manner of performance, period over which the contract has to be performed and Consideration
description of subject matter Complete drawings and specification
manner of performance
period over which the contract.. consideration
Method statements
Construction period Contract Sum
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MUQAWALA CONTRACTS
Contractor obligations (briefly) (for) Quality of materials (to provide) tools For any loss/damage arising from his work* Permitted to retain the work until payment Article 875 Article 876 Article 878 Article 879
* Except when the loss arising from his work cant be prevented
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MUQAWALA CONTRACTS
Mandatory Contractor obligations
Article 880(1)
Joint liability with Architect against partial/total collapse of the structure for TEN years. Article 886
Obligation to notify if the quantities required to complete the work is substantially more than what is included in the Contract in a Unit priced measurable contract
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In a lump-sum contract, Contractor is entitled for additional payment only if the variation work is undertaken with the consent of Employer Article 887
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SUBCONTRACTING
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SUBCONTRACTING
Article 890 Subcontracting is permitted unless It is prevented by a condition in the contract Or The nature of work requires that it should be performed by the Contractor
The Main Contractor is still liable to the Employer (Article 890 (2))
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SUBCONTRACTING
The Subcontractor shall have no claim against the Employer for any outstanding monies from the first contractor unless, There is an assignment by the first contractor to the Employer
Article 891
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TERMINATION OF CONTRACTS
A Muqawala contract can be terminated in three ways Upon completion of work (actually it is completion!) Upon cancellation of the contract by mutual consent By order of the court Article 892
A party injured by the cancellation may make a claim for compensation from other party to the extent allowed by custom. Article 895
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Over 100s of Case law from Dubai Court of Cassation, Abu Dhabi Supreme Courts Venkat
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Coming Soon!!
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