The first step in the career of Isa bin Haider’s lawyer was the Dubai Police Service, the “factory of men,” as he calls it. His love of work, diligence and discipline soon brought him to the post of assistant public prosecutor of the Dubai prosecutor's office. The next step was the advocacy and opening of the private law firm Bean Hyder, which subsequently took leading positions in the region. Attorney Bean Hyder has achieved brilliant professional success, having won many high-profile cases, both local and international. His company enjoys an impeccable reputation and protects the interests of customers from America, Europe, Russia, the former Soviet republics, India, Pakistan and other countries. In addition to his main activity, Isa bin Haider conducts a legal broadcast of the "spirit of law" and answers questions from readers of the legal column of a leading emirate newspaper. The lawyer is also active in charitable activities and provides support to UAE sports teams.
Mr. Bean Hyder answered questions from our magazine regarding the impartiality of the judicial system of the Emirates, the global economic crisis and the role of a lawyer in the world and the region.
Mr. Bean Hyder, a United Nations report refers to the transparency of the judiciary in the United Arab Emirates. Please comment.
The United Arab Emirates is a country of institutions, and the impartiality of its courts demonstrates the ideal nature of the judiciary. We have many good examples, taken from everyday reality, refuting all allegations aimed at distorting the image of Dubai and attempts to cast doubt on the impartiality of its courts. Excellent cases of transparency and impartiality are cases brought against civil servants and ministers, with convictions and acquittals. Such cases take place without any interference from the authorities. The oath I made to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai at the beginning of my appointment as the public prosecutor, states: "The Almighty Lord controls what you do, and you must ignore any charge against you during the application of the law, and no one can ever be higher than the law. " Further, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed emphasized that the UAE Constitution regulated the process of bringing claims to the authorities in the country and appointed certain courts with jurisdiction to consider such cases. An excellent example is the decisions of the Supreme Federal Court regarding the resignation or retirement of some employees. In addition, there are other cases that have been brought to court, and in which decisions were made on the innocence of the parties involved. That is, the court applied the laws and passed acquittals without any coercion or order from the outside. All this is the culture of the United Arab Emirates.
How has the global economic crisis affected the UAE economy?
The economic crisis affecting all countries in the UAE affected mainly the real estate sector. This issue subsequently became the basis for speculation and negative propaganda coming from the foreign press. I believe that someone is trying to achieve certain goals, driven by frank envy of the UAE's successes, the impressiveness of the emirate’s economy, the country's rapid progress and development, the wise approach and attention of our government to all spheres of the population’s life. The government’s progressive approach has reduced the already negative impact of the crisis compared to the rest of the world. A vivid example of the strength of the UAE economy is the active work of organizations such as housing and marriage funds, which continue to provide support to the population, expressed in loans of tens of millions of dirhams.
What do you think the role of a lawyer is in the modern world and, in particular, in the UAE?
Lawyers have always owned and still have a leading role in world politics and diplomacy. For example, the “Sinai crisis” was resolved through international arbitration and “legal battles”, which replaced military operations. The heroes of those battles were lawyers. One of these heroes is my teacher, Professor Mufid Shihab. Many international issues are resolved by lawyers in the courts. The question of the state border between Bahrain and Qatar was resolved in this way. The development of the judicial systems of countries such as the United States was due to lawyers. The countries of Europe and the United States have chosen a creative approach to the application of laws aimed at protecting the interests of the state and its sovereignty, taking into account humanitarian aspects.
In Arab countries, society is often inclined to see a lawyer as a person who works diligently to protect the rights of his client. But the interests of the state often come into conflict with the interests of individual citizens, which is an urgent problem that could be easily resolved with the right approach. Take, for example, the situation with fake certificates of higher education provided to the Ministry of Labor, forgery of other official documents, cases of fraud and theft. These issues accumulate and overload government employees. The reason is disorganization. In European countries we see a different picture. The lawyer is given the honorable role of a qualified professional, who is entrusted with the determination of the authenticity of documents submitted to state structures. The state determines the cost of such services and redirects this work to law firms, thus unloading its departments, building partnerships with law firms and creating additional sources of income for citizens. The application of this practice in the UAE would have a great positive effect. But, unfortunately, state interests conflict with personal interests, primarily those people who are only concerned about their own profit and do not delve into the affairs of the country. In Europe, we see a situation where every family has a private lawyer accredited by state immigration, labor and other departments, as well as lawyers dealing with the affairs of various public organizations, trade unions, social issues of such groups as children, women, and human rights in general . All these lawyers have a common goal, expressed in protecting society as a whole and the interests of individual citizens.
