His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, has announced the launch of the Bahrain International Commercial Court in the kingdom.
HRH Prince Salman also introduced ‘Global Justice Bay’, a new hub positioning Bahrain as a centre for dispute resolution and international legal collaboration.
He was speaking as he attended, on behalf of His Majesty King Hamad, the inauguration ceremony of the King Hamad Forum for Justice, at the Isa Cultural Centre yesterday.
The forum is the first-of-its-kind dialogue dedicated to advancing the principles of fairness and impartiality, he said.
HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister thanked the government and judiciary of Singapore, in particular Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon and his team, for their collaboration in setting up the commercial court.
Every thriving economy rests on a single, invisible foundation – trust, he said.
Trust, in turn, rests on justice, he said, and justice is rendered through strong institutions.
“It is institutions, therefore – not rhetoric – that ensure markets remain fair, disputes are resolved peacefully and that the rule of law is upheld when the world seems uncertain.”
He said: “When Bahrain began this programme, our goal was simple: to build a system that upholds integrity, and delivers justice efficiently.”
The Bahrain International Commercial Court stands on three simple ideas – justice enables prosperity, independent institutions command trust and justice must adapt to the age we live in, he pointed out.
“Some say that law and commerce exist in tension – that regulation constrains enterprise. But experience shows the opposite,” HRH Prince Salman said.
The rule of law is not a brake on economic growth; it is its engine, he added.
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