The Shura Council held its regular weekly session, today, under the chairmanship of His Excellency Mr. Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud, Speaker of the Council, through video communication technology at the Council’s headquarters.
At the beginning of the session, the council discussed the draft mediation law in settling civil and commercial disputes, which consists of 32 articles and defines the mediation agreements in which its provisions apply, mediation procedures and methods, the conditions that must be met by the mediator, whether he is a natural or legal person, and the procedures for stopping the case in the court if the parties agreed to settle the dispute through mediation, and the procedures of the settlement agreement.
After discussion, the Council decided to refer the aforementioned draft law to the Legal and Legislative Affairs Committee to study it and submit a report on it to the Council.
The Shura Council reviewed the report of the Legal and Legislative Affairs Committee on the draft law establishing the Investment and Trade Court.
After extensive discussion of the report, the council recommended amending one of the articles of the aforementioned draft law, approving it in its amended form, and referring its recommendations in this regard to the esteemed government.
The draft law consists of 35 articles that include the formation of the Investment and Trade Court and its primary and appellate circuits. The draft law also defines the court’s jurisdictions, including: disputes related to commercial contracts and cases arising between merchants related to their commercial activities, and disputes related to the investment of non-Qatari capital in economic activity. Disputes related to the operations of banks, insurance companies, finance and investment companies, disputes related to bankruptcy and preventive composition, patents, competition protection, prevention of monopolistic practices and combating practices harmful to national products in international trade, disputes related to electronic commerce and its transactions, and disputes related to partnership contracts between the public and private sectors.
His Excellency Mr. Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud briefed the Council during the session on his participation, as president of the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption, in the regional symposium of the Pacific Island Parliamentarians Against Corruption, which was held via video communication technology last Tuesday.
His Excellency praised the discussions of the symposium, which focused on the role of parliaments and parliamentarians in combating corruption, especially in raising awareness of its dangers, enacting legislation to combat it and tightening penalties for perpetrators, in addition to the need for good preparation for the special session on combating corruption that will be held by the United Nations General Assembly in New York early next June. As a very important event, it will give a great political impetus to global efforts to combat corruption.