KUCHING: Sarawak is set to become a regional hub for alternative dispute resolution with the setting up of the Asian International Arbitration Centre’s (AIAC) branch office in the state.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said (pic) said the Sarawak branch – AIAC’s first outside Kuala Lumpur – will be implemented next year with the appointment of several key members.
“It will be a platform for dispute resolution, particularly in international trade and business issues, thereby boosting the confidence of investors that there is sufficient legal protection for their interests.
“Not only can you go to court, but you must also have a legitimate expectation that there is a platform handling international disputes efficiently and quickly,” she said after the Sarawak government and AIAC formalised an agreement to set up the branch at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly complex yesterday.
Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg and Azalina witnessed the exchange of the agreement between Sarawak state secretary Datuk Amar Mohamad Abu Bakar Marzuki and AIAC chief executive officer Datuk Danesh Chandran.
Azalina said Sarawak was the right choice to house AIAC’s regional hub as the state was rapidly growing in international trade.
“This is not just a branch. It will be AIAC’s major hub, attracting international lawyers and law chambers to the premises in Sarawak to settle disputes,” she said.
