DAMMAM: The Administrative Appeals Court in the Eastern Province has appointed lawyer Shaimaa Sadeq Al-Jibran the first female commercial arbitrator in a commercial case, rejecting objections by one of the parties in the case to her appointment because she is a woman.
According to sources, commercial arbitration comes under the judiciary and is a means of resolving conflicts by issuing binding rulings on the parties involved.
Judicial sources called on the Ministry of Justice to reconsider the issue of permitting women to join the judiciary. No woman has previously been appointed as a commercial judge or in any of the ministry’s judicial posts in the past.
Al-Jibran’s appointment was made based on the recommendation of the office of lawyer and legal adviser Bakharji, who submitted her CV and requested she be appointed commercial arbitrator in a case concerning a company.
Lawyer Dana Al-Hamd said Al-Jibran was appointed because of her expertise, but the move received plenty of criticism and objections. Her appointment was challenged in the Administrative Appeals Court, which approved her appointment.
Al-Jibran confirmed that commercial arbitration requires experience in conflict resolution and an analytical mind able to deal with international and local commercial proceedings.
First female commercial judge appointed
First female commercial judge appointed
