UAE Minister of Justice Abdullah Sultan bin Awad Al Nuaimi told delegates at the 15th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice that countries cannot fight serious crime alone and must pursue international judicial cooperation the Khaleej Times reported from the session held in Abu Dhabi. Al Nuaimi outlined how the UAE has focused on making such cooperation faster and more effective particularly when legal systems differ across borders. The minister cited the recent extradition of Irish national Daniel Kinahan as an example of direct communication between authorities that helped move quickly on organized crime cases according to the same account. He added that the UAE has concluded 140 comprehensive agreements with 53 countries in addition to 16 multilateral agreements Gulf News reported from his address.
Ministry of Justice data detailed in the minister’s remarks placed the average response time for voluntary extradition requests at five days in 2025 while authorities notified requesting countries of deficiencies within an average of four days. For mutual legal assistance complete requests were executed in an average of 35 days with notification of missing information within a maximum of five days the minister said. These timelines reflect procedural improvements that have shortened processing without bypassing court requirements in complex matters. The Emirates News Agency covered parallel announcements on digital platforms that support these efficiencies.
In one asset recovery case involving France and four individuals UAE authorities worked with French counterparts to trace and seize 80 properties in the UAE during November 2025 according to Al Nuaimi. The minister stated These examples demonstrate that international judicial cooperation can deliver tangible results especially in asset recovery when there is a willingness to do so. He referenced the UAE’s bilateral treaties with more than 40 countries including the United Kingdom France and India that enable such outcomes a cooperation pattern also noted in analyses from the extradition.co research portal. Incoming mutual legal assistance requests rose 4.9 percent to 516 in 2025 while extradition requests increased 25.3 percent to 559 the National Anti-Money Laundering and Combatting the Financing of Terrorism and Proliferation Financing Committee figures show.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Justice launched the International Judicial Cooperation Service in July 2025 under the second phase of the Zero Government Bureaucracy Programme the Emirates News Agency reported. This digital platform connects diplomatic missions the two ministries and foreign entities to exchange judicial requests in three streamlined steps reducing delays from traditional methods. The service builds on earlier recognition in the Zero Government Bureaucracy Awards where the Ministry of Foreign Affairs earned an award for eliminating 80 percent of bureaucratic procedures in its Smart Mission project. Al Nuaimi chairs the Federal Judicial Council and has used such forums to stress the integration of legal frameworks.
Sharjah Judicial Department and DIFC Courts signed a cooperation agreement in June 2026 to improve judgment movement court services and legal coordination within the UAE a development that complements the international focus the 1Arabia news portal indicated. That memorandum signed in the presence of Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi establishes frameworks for jurisdiction document service enforcement and information exchange. DIFC Courts handled 1509 cases across divisions in 2025 a 42 percent increase with total claims reaching 18.6 billion dirhams according to court statistics cited in the report. These domestic advancements support the broader judicial capacity referenced by the minister.
The National Anti-Money Laundering and Combatting the Financing of Terrorism and Proliferation Financing Committee recorded a 20.7 percent rise in requests for information received by the Financial Intelligence Unit to 1522 in 2025 alongside a tripling in the value of frozen assets to 150 million dirhams. Pre-emptive freezing orders increased 46.7 percent from 15 to 22 during the year the committee’s performance indicators state. Al Nuaimi met with Netherlands Minister of Justice and Security Foort van Oosten in October 2025 to review bilateral progress under which the UAE completed 11 extraditions to the Netherlands with additional cases under review the Dutch government release noted. The ministers welcomed direct communication channels that have accelerated cooperation and reduced processing times.
