Claim No. CFI 022/2025

THE DUBAI INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL CENTRE COURTS

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL

BETWEEN

TAYSEER ALI

Claimant/Respondent

and

SADAPAY TECHNOLOGIES LTD

Defendant/Appellant

ORDER WITH REASONS OF H.E. CHIEF JUSTICE WAYNE MARTIN

UPON the Order of H.E. Justice Roger Stewart dated 18 September 2025 (the “Order”)

AND UPON the Order of H.E. Justice Roger Stewart dated 20 November 2025 dismissing the Defendant’s application for permission to appeal the Order

AND UPON the Defendant’s renewed application dated 12 December 2025 seeking permission to appeal the Order (the “Renewed Application”)

AND UPON the Order of H.E. Chief Justice Wayne Martin dated 29 January 2026 (the “29 January Order”), dismissing the Renewed Application and ordering at paragraph 6 that the quantum of the Claimant’s costs will thereafter be assessed by H.E. Chief Justice Wayne Martin by way of immediate assessment on the papers (“Order 6”) IT IS HEREBY ORDERED THAT pursuant to Order 6 of the 29 January Order, the Claimant's costs are assessed in the amount of AED 45,000.

Issued by:
Hayley Norton
Assistant Registrar
Date of issue: 17 March 2026
At: 2pm

1. On 29 January 2026, orders were made dismissing the Defendant's Renewed Application and ordering the Defendant to pay the Claimant's costs of the Renewed Application to be assessed in accordance with the procedure specified in those orders. The first step in that procedure has been implemented and the Claimant has filed a statement of costs climbing to AED 59,600. The Defendant has not taken advantage of the opportunity to file submissions in opposition to the amount claimed.

2. Nevertheless, it is appropriate for the Court to review the amount claimed in order to be satisfied that the amount claimed is reasonable and proportionate.

3. The amount claimed is the sum of the hours worked at hourly rates provided for each of the two practitioners who worked on the case, each of whom is described as a senior counsel with 13 years’ experience. In respect of one of those practitioners, costs are claimed at an hourly rate of AED 3,700. That rate is within the range specified in Registrar's Practice Direction No. 1 of 2023 in respect of partners, but exceeds the range specified in that Direction for practitioners with more than 10 years’ experience. The top of the range for such practitioners is AED 3,298. As the practitioner is not said to be a partner, the costs claimed should be reduced to allow for the fact that the rate claimed for that practitioner is excessive.

4. The hours claimed must also be assessed in light of the fact that the same legal practitioners represented clients in three cases against the same Defendant which were, although not identical, very similar. The essential work required in order to respond to the Renewed Application was the preparation of a skeleton argument in response to the Renewed Application. The similarity between the cases meant that the skeleton arguments in each case were substantially similar, with the result that the original drafting required in each case was limited. The hours claimed, assessed in that context, appear somewhat excessive.

5. Taking these matters into account the Claimant's costs are assessed in the amount of AED 45,000.