The UAE can now enforce UK court rulings, altering Dubai's 'safe haven' status
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Courts in the United Arab Emirates have been granted the authority to enforce British legal rulings in several categories of cases, in a landmark decree by the UAE's Ministry of Justice.

The change applies to all court rulings for non-criminal civil, financial and marital cases and is already in affect. It represents a significant step-up in cooperation between the UAE and the U.K., longtime partners in trade, diplomacy and defense.

Dubai, the UAE's commercial capital, has for years been seen as a sort of "safe haven" for people smuggling money or avoiding various sentences in other countries, as the UAE would not confiscate money owed in a U.K. civil case ruling. This was due to what the UAE described as a lack of "reciprocity," as the U.K. generally did not enforce UAE court rulings.

The new ruling announced Wednesday will, in principle, make it no longer possible for those sentenced in civil cases in the U.K. to flee to the UAE and avoid paying debts.

Some legal experts predict a surge in cases by creditors pursuing debt repayments from people who have left the U.K. for the UAE.

"For too long, errant husbands or wives unwilling to meet financial obligations on divorce as ordered by the English court, have found a safe haven in Dubai," Alexandra Tribe an international family lawyer at London-based Expatriate Law, told Emirati news outlet The National.

"This legal news is likely to open the floodgates for enforcement of previously unpaid orders, especially considering the significant British expat population in the UAE," she said.