Dubai Criminal Court resumes normal hearings

The court was closed on March 17 due to the coronavirus but later launched remote proceedings

A man has been handed an eight-year jail term on sexual assault and human trafficking charges. Pawan Singh/The National

Dubai Criminal Court has resumed hearing cases as usual following an easing of coronavirus restrictions.

Staff returned to its courtrooms on June 14, although some cases will continue to be dealt with online.

Remote hearings were introduced from April 19 as part of government efforts to ensure criminal proceedings were not overly disrupted because of the pandemic.

As of this week, defendants who are in police custody for minor offences will still have their cases heard online.

Officials said only those who had been released on bail would be required to attend court in person.

“Dubai Courts will continue to employ smart services and will encourage their use among customers to save time and effort,” said director general Taresh Eid Al Mansouri.