Sir William Young, a former New Zealand Supreme Court judge who led the country's Royal Commission of Inquiry into the March 15, 2019 Christchurch terror attack, has become the third judge to resign within weeks of joining Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Courts.
International Investment reported on 3 August the sudden departure of two Irish judges virtually sworn in alongside Young on 27 July to the DIFC Courts, namely Ireland's former chief justice Frank Clarke and former Ireland High Court president Peter Kelly, amid a row over the UAE's record on human rights.
Young, who lives in Christchurch and retired from the bench of the Supreme Court earlier this year after 25 years as a judge, had been listed on the DIFC's website as one of its judges, alongside high-profile figures from England and Wales, Scotland, Australia, Malaysia and the UAE.
But the NZ Herald reported that his photograph and details vanished from the site earlier this week, and that after inquiries from the Herald, Young confirmed that he has stepped down.
DIFC Courts had said in a statement on 27 July 2022 that four new judges were appointed at the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Courts in a virtual swearing in ceremony. Judges Frank Clarke, Peter Kelly, William Young and Michael Black had expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to be part of DIFC Courts, it further said.
