DOHA: Qatar’s Ministry of Justice has done away with the conventional paper-based power of attorney and replaced it with a much safer and time-saving electronic format.
In other words, people or entities wanting to give away power of attorney to lawyers, companies, banks or any individual to act on their behalf in legal or business matters, will no more have a physical paper.
Instead, the power of attorney will be issued in an electronic format application which needs to be made online.
A person or entity grating a power of attorney is called a grantor in legal parlance while the person or entity receiving it to act on behalf of the former is referred to as the agent, or attorney-in-fact.
In Qatar, the use of power of attorney is quite widespread especially in business where owners authorise their managers or senior employees to act on their behalf in several legal and business matters.
The banks also rely on power of attorney to a large extent as several company accounts are operated by senior managers on behalf of their owners.
The Ministry of Justice said yesterday that people and entities will be able to issue the electronic format of power of attorney either within the country or from outside.
If a power of attorney is to be cancelled it would be done by the grantor within minutes or if he or she wants it extended, he or she could do that instantly.
“We are doing away with the paper-based power of attorney system,” the head of the Documentation Department at the ministry, Ahmed Al Maraghi, said yesterday, Qatar News Agency reported.
He said that his department has been working on the innovative online system since 2010 and the system could actually be put into force last year.
He said all types of power of attorney, including personal, business-related or those issued to lawyers to represent a grantor in a legal case, will be issued in the electronic format.
According to Al Maraghi, his department is busy holding meetings with various ministries, other state agencies and businesses and well as the banks to set up a common online link so that they could instantly access a power of attorney that is issued and concerns them.
This will save time and effort not only of the grantor and of the employees of the justice ministry but also of the agents and the companies, banks, ministries and businesses, said Al Maraghi.
“The new paperless system will be safe and secure and there is no danger of damage or loss,” he added.
The Peninsula
