Appealing Power: The Power To Appeal

Power and responsibility go hand in hand. The power to appeal renders the responsibility to seek justice, and the public prosecutors have been entrusted with such powers to seek appeals in certain civil and criminal matters in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The courts in the UAE, set out clearly, a hierarchy of levels establishing the different degrees of courts. The hierarchy of courts can be seen to be set out like the levels in a pyramid. The courts of first instance occupy the base level in the hierarchy of courts. As one goes higher to the next level, the courts of appeal come in on the second level. Moving on to the next level, the Federal Supreme Court is at the federal level, and the Court of Cassation is at the local level of the emirates which have independent judicial departments. In this article, I aim to bring to light the power of appeals by public prosecutors with respect to civil and criminal procedural matters in the territory of the UAE.