Article 78 of the Saudi Commercial Courts Law
المادة 78 من نظام المحاكم التجارية · الفصل الثاني: الاستئناف
The article makes judgments and decisions of the first-instance circuits appealable, except minor cases not exceeding SAR 50,000 as the Council specifies, and regulates appeals decided without pleadings.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
1- فيما لم يرد فيه نص خاص، تعدّ جميع الأحكام والقرارات الصادرة من الدوائر الابتدائية في المحكمة قابلة للاستئناف فيما عدا الدعاوى اليسيرة التي لا تزيد على خمسين ألف ريال، وفق ما يحدده المجلس.
2- يحدد المجلس الأحكام التي يكتفى بنظر الاستئناف فيها دون مرافعة.
3- إذا كان الحكم الذي ينظر دون مرافعة -وفق أحكام الفقرة (2) من هذه المادة- موافقاً في نتيجته لأصوله؛ أيدته المحكمة مع إضافة ما تراه من أسباب. أما إذا ألغته فتحكم فيما أُلغي بعد مرافعة. وفي جميع الأحوال لا يحكم بالتأييد، أو بأي حكم بعد الإلغاء، إلا في جلسة علنية يبلغ بها الأطراف.
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 78 explained in plain English
This article sets the default rule on whether judgments can be appealed, and regulates hearing an appeal without pleadings.
First: the general rule. Where there is no special provision, all judgments and decisions issued by the first-instance circuits in the court are appealable, except minor cases not exceeding SAR 50,000, as the Council specifies.
Second: appeal without pleadings. The Council specifies the judgments for which it is enough to hear the appeal without pleadings.
Third: the outcome of a hearing without pleadings.
- If the judgment is consistent in its result with its principles, the court upholds it, adding any reasons it considers appropriate.
- If the court reverses it, it rules on what was reversed after pleadings.
- In all cases, upholding or any ruling after reversal is made only at a public hearing of which the parties are notified.
The article is connected to Article 79, which sets the appeal period for judgments at 30 days from the date set for delivering a copy of the judgment text, and 10 days for judgments issued on jurisdiction and judgments issued in urgent cases. It is also connected to Article 77, which provides the force of final judgments that have acquired the force of res judicata in what they decided of the dispute.
Anyone who wants to know whether their case is one of the excepted minor cases should refer to what the Council specifies, and it is advisable to consult a lawyer specialized in commercial cases.
Practical example
A first-instance judgment was issued by the commercial court in Jeddah in a dispute between two companies over SAR 300,000. This judgment is appealable under the default rule the article sets, because the value of the case exceeds SAR 50,000. If the judgment is one the Council has specified may be heard on appeal without pleadings, and the court finds it consistent in its result with its principles, it upholds it at a public hearing of which both parties are notified.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Frequently asked questions about Article 78 of the Saudi Commercial Courts Law
Can all commercial court judgments be appealed?
Where there is no special provision, all judgments and decisions issued by the first-instance circuits are appealable, except minor cases not exceeding SAR 50,000 as the Council specifies.
Can a judgment in a case not exceeding SAR 50,000 be appealed?
The article excepts from appealability minor cases not exceeding SAR 50,000, as the Council specifies.
What does hearing an appeal without pleadings mean?
The Council specifies judgments for which it is enough to hear the appeal without pleadings. If the judgment is consistent in its result with its principles, the court upholds it; if it reverses it, it rules on what was reversed after pleadings, and at a public hearing of which the parties are notified.
More articles on Appeal and Cassation
- Article 72
The procedures established before the first-instance circuits apply to the appeal circuits and the commercial circuit in the Supreme Court where there is no special provision.
فيما لم يرد فيه نص خاص، تسري على دوائر الاستئناف والدائرة التجارية في المحكمة العليا الإجراءات المقررة أمام الدوائر الابتدائية، بما في ذلك الأحكام المتعلقة بالآ
- Article 73
The article refers to the Implementing Regulations the objections that must be filed by a lawyer.
تحدد اللائحة الاعتراضات التي يجب رفعها من محامٍ.
- Article 74
The article sets who may object to a judgment, the permissibility of agreeing that a first-instance judgment is final, when interim rulings can be objected to, and the effect of an objection on immediate enforcement.
1- ما لم ينص النظام على غير ذلك، لا يجوز أن يعترض على الحكم إلا المحكوم عليه، أو من لم يُقضَ له بكل طلباته. 2- يجوز الاتفاق -ولو قبل رفع الدعوى- على أن يكون حكم
- Article 75
The article makes the address recorded in the case particulars the address for notification in an objection by way of appeal.
يُعَدُّ العنوان المُقيَّد في بيانات الدعوى عنواناً للتبليغ في الاعتراض بطريق الاستئناف.
- Article 76
The article sets the additional particulars required in the text of a judgment issued on an objection, and permits referring to the facts and reasons of the judgment objected to if they are sufficiently set out.
1- يجب أن تتضمن نسخة الحكم الصادر في الاعتراض -بالإضافة إلى البيانات الأساسية المذكورة في المادة (الثانية والستين) من النظام- الآتي: أ- ملخص وافٍ للاعتراض يشتمل
- Article 79
The article sets the appeal period at 30 days from the date set for delivering a copy of the judgment, and 10 days for judgments on jurisdiction and urgent cases, and bars objection to a final judgment on jurisdiction.
1- تكون المهلة المحددة للاستئناف على الأحكام (ثلاثين) يوماً من التاريخ المحدد لتسليم صورة نسخة الحكم. 2- تكون المهلة المحددة للاستئناف على الأحكام الصادرة في ال
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.