Two top Irish judges resign from DIFC Courts amid row over UAE human rights record 

Ireland's former chief justice Frank Clarke has resigned as a judge of the Dubai International Finance Centre (DIFC) Courts and former Ireland High Court president Peter Kelly followed soon after amid a row over the UAE's record on human rights.

The two retired judges were sworn in last week as judges of the DIFC Courts, which administer a "unique common law, English language jurisdiction, which governs commercial and civil disputes, national, regionally, and worldwide".

But on 31 July, Clarke announced he had resigned from the position after concerns were raised of there being a conflict of interest with his recent appointment as president of Ireland's Law Reform Commission (LRC).

He said: "Ireland and many Irish companies do significant business in and with Dubai, and in that context it is important that there be an independent and trusted dispute resolution system available to those enterprises.

"However, I am concerned that the current controversy could impact on the important work of the Law Reform Commission, to which I am committed. In those circumstances, I can confirm that I have today submitted my resignation as a judge of the DIFC courts to the Chief Justice of that court."

Former High Court President Peter Kelly subsequently resigned from his judge role in Dubai courts after the strong criticism in Ireland from key legal figures.

In a statement to the Irish Times on 2 August, Kelly said: "I have decided to resign from the Court of Appeal of the DIFC since, as a private citizen, I do not want this controversy to disrupt my future time in retirement."

The head of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, Liam Herrick, said the appointments were concerning given the pattern of widespread and serious human rights violations in the UAE.

"It is a matter of legitimate concern that two of Ireland's most senior retired judges were appointed to judicial roles by the UAE government," he said.

In a social media post, Professor O'Connell, a former member of the Law Reform Commission, also called for an examination by the Judicial Council about how the controversy arose.