CONFIDENTIAL FROM FOREIGN OFFICE TO BAHRAIN DEPARTMENTAL DISTRIBUTION 1777 November 15,1963 CONFIDENTIAL D.7.35 p... November 15,1963 My immediately preceding telegram: ZJurisdiction in Abu Dhabi Points on which I should like your views are as follows: (a) Do you envisage that Shakhbut will have the power to reverse decisions of the Traffic Court? This may give the Ruler opportunities to interfere and any reopening of acquittals would be unacceptable; but we do not see how he can be deprived of the norual powers of pardon, remission of sentence etc., which the Home Secretary exercises here. In any case, you might wish to make representations to him if, for example, a British employee of an oil company were harshly treated by the Abu Dhabi court. (b) While we think it would be difficult, in practice, ever to take back our jurisdiction in traffic cases, we note that you have not so far said what would happen to pending cases if this aid occur at the end of the experimental period. Clearly provision cannot be made in your letter to the Ruler and we assume that, if the need arose, you would legislate for this in the further Queen's Regulation required to take back our jurisdiction, (e) We assume that in the rare case when an accused person is arrested before trial for a traffic offence, he would, esou 11 European, also be put in a European prisen. You will no doubt provide in the proposed Queen's Regulation transferring jurisdiction that imprisonment in Sharjah will be lawful even though not within the area of the Abu Dhabi law under which the conviction was made. (a) There has, so far, been no agreement on the procedure to be followed by the Traffic Court. Do you intend the Ruler's Traffic Law to contain a section on procedure? (e) How do you now propose civil cases arising out of traffic offences will be tried? If they are to remain within the province of Her Majesty's court, we can foresee further difficulties with Shakhbut 12, for example, a claim for compensation by an Abu Dhabi National is heard in our court against a British Subject who has previously been found guilty of dangerous driving in the Abu Dhabi Traffic Court. (+) Do you propose that Abu Dhabi Traffic Regulation 1961 should remain in force to cover those persons under our Jurisdiction, e... CONTIDENTIAL
