The Abu Dhabi Judicial Department has organised a lecture at the Coptic Orthodox Church to educate the community about registering wills and make them aware about the newly introduced wills office for non-Muslims.

The Non-Muslims Wills Office, which started operating in August this year, was set up by the judicial department to look into matters of inheritance for non-Muslim residents.

Officials from the department of Notary Public Affairs and Documentation said the lecture was intended to spread awareness about the services offered by the judicial department to the non-Muslim community in the country and to highlight the importance of making use of these services.

"The services are within the framework of implementing the directives of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Presidential Affairs and the Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, to meet the real needs of the community," said a judicial official.

The lecture, which was attended by a large number of Catholics, highlighted the importance of registering wills, which accords legal protection over properties, where their assets are sent after death and the custody of their children.

Officials also told the church members about the procedures and requirements needed to register a will with the Non-Muslim Wills office, located in the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department's new building.

The undersecretary of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, Counsel Yousef Saeed Al Ibri, said that the creation of the wills and probate registry for non-Muslims came as part of identifying the realistic needs of all sectors of society in Abu Dhabi. It is also covers the implementation of institutional and legislative mechanisms to protect the rights and freedoms of individuals and the special features of their various beliefs and ethnicities. All this falls under the umbrella of the state constitution, affirming the enjoyment of foreigners' rights and freedoms prescribed in international charters.

"The registration of wills offers flexible legal options to assist non-Muslim families in the event of the death of parents; in order to protect assets and properties."

Source: Khaleej Times