 JEDDAH — In a major reform within both the Saudi government and society, the Kingdom has announced plans to revamp its judiciary by setting up a supreme court in Riyadh, appeal courts in all its 13 regions as well as labour and commercial courts.
| Also known as the "Saudi Prince Full-Employment Act". |
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Fahd bin Abdulaziz, issued a royal decree on Saturday endorsing the re-organisation plan for the judiciary proposed by the ministerial committee for administrative reforms. Justice Minister Dr Abdullah Al Asheikh said the new Judicial Law crowned other regulations passed by the government in recent years such as the Law of Procedure Before Shariah Courts and the Criminal Procedure Law. "This is a major development in the Kingdom's judicial history as it will strengthen judicial agencies and speed up the justice system," the Saudi Press Agency quoted the minister as saying.
| They'll have all sorts of new ways of letting jihadis off the hook. |
He said Shariah would remain the basis of the Kingdom's judicial system.
| Well of course, can't have any of those modern ideas in the Magic Kingdom! |
By taking many issues out of the hands of the strictly Sharia courts, this new measure introduces transparency and responsibility to the legal system. There's no question that Shariah will remain the principle upon which decisions are made.
| "Relax, boys, the fix is in." |
Putting the law into a more organised and structured forum, however, will provide better protection of individual rights as well as provide a more systematic route for appeals. This is a very big deal, according to the usual, unnamed observers. Al Asheikh said the Supreme Council of Judiciary, as per the new set-up, would take care of the administrative and human resource affairs of courts. "The judicial powers of the council will be transferred to the Supreme Court, which will be highest judicial body in the country," he explained. The new law abrogates the courts of cassation and calls for the establishment of appeal courts in all regions within a timeframe, Al Asheikh said. It approves the setting up of specialized courts such as labor and commercial courts to settle labor and commercial disputes. Under the new law, there will be general courts to deal with all conflicts except labor, commercial and family disputes and criminal courts to address crimes. Civil courts will handle family and personal conflicts. Al Asheikh said his ministry has set up special sections for reconciliation between defendants and plaintiffs to achieve peaceful settlement of conflicts.
Al Asheikh said the new sections would deal with marital and family disputes. "In the beginning they will look into applications for divorce, family visits and expenditure," he added. Divorce is a major social problem in the Kingdom. Courts register 25 to 35 divorce cases daily. An average of 16,000 divorces take place annually out of a total of 66,000 marriages. The minister quoted from the Holy Qur'an and Hadith to emphasise the importance of reconciliation.
| "Go back to yer man, honey, or face the consequences!" |
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