His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, issued a series of Emiri decrees appointing senior leaders across the emirate’s judicial institutions. According to the official announcement on the Ruler’s website, Judge Ahmed Abdullah Al Mulla was named President of the Court of Cassation while Judge Dr. Mohammed Obaid Al Kaabi was appointed Chairman of the Judicial Department. Counselor Anwar Amin Al Harmoudi will assume the role of Attorney General and Judge Dr. Salama Rashid Salem Tamim Al Ketbi was designated Chairman of the Judicial Inspection Department, all under the special job classification system and effective from the start of 2026.
The decrees further appointed Judge Dr. Saeed Ali Bahbouh Al Naqbi as President of the Sharjah Courts of Appeal and Judge Dr. Omar Obaid Al Salami as President of the Sharjah Courts of First Instance. Sheikh Faisal bin Ali bin Abdullah Al Mualla received the position of Secretary-General of the Sharjah Judicial Council with the rank of Director-General. These leadership changes form part of a coordinated restructuring that the Ruler’s media office said would enhance judicial administration across the emirate.
Two additional Emiri decrees provided for the appointment of 38 judges to the First Instance Court, 17 to the Appeals Court and seven to the Court of Cassation. The same announcements named two public prosecutors together with two assistant chief prosecutors, bringing the combined total of these judicial appointments to 66. The Ruler’s office detailed the appointments without releasing names of the individual judges and prosecutors assigned to the expanded benches.
A separate decree established the composition of the Sharjah Judicial Council, chaired by Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed bin Sultan Al Qasimi as Deputy Ruler of Sharjah. Counsellor Dr. Mansour Mohammed bin Nassar, Chairman of the Sharjah Government Legal Department, was named vice-chairman while the newly appointed judicial leaders fill the remaining seats on the council. The formation follows an earlier Emiri decree in October 2024 that created the Judicial Council, the Emirates News Agency reported at the time.
The appointments arrive as Sharjah continues to develop its independent judicial framework within the UAE’s federal system. Public records from previous years show the emirate has steadily increased the number of specialized judges to manage rising caseloads in civil, commercial and family matters. The official decrees emphasize that all changes take effect on January 1, 2026, allowing for an orderly transition in leadership and bench strength.
