Article 88 of the Saudi Commercial Courts Law
المادة 88 من نظام المحاكم التجارية · الفصل الرابع: النقض
The article makes the commercial circuit in the Supreme Court competent to hear objections to appeal circuit judgments and decisions, and lists the four grounds on which an objection may be based.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
تختص الدائرة التجارية في المحكمة العليا بالنظر في الاعتراضات على الأحكام والقرارات التي تصدرها دوائر الاستئناف في المحكمة؛ إذا كان محل الاعتراض على الحكم ما يأتي:
1- مخالفة أحكام الشريعة الإسلامية أو الأنظمة، أو الخطأ في تطبيقها أو تأويلها، أو مخالفة مبدأ قضائي صادر من المحكمة العليا.
2- صدوره من محكمة غير مختصة، أو صدوره من محكمة غير مشكلة تشكيلاً صحيحاً وفق أحكام النظام.
3- الخطأ في تكييف الواقعة أو في وصفها.
4- فصله في نزاع خلافاً لحكم آخر سبق أن صدر بين أطراف الدعوى.
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 88 explained in plain English
This article regulates objection before the Supreme Court to the judgments and decisions issued by the appeal circuits in the court. The body competent to hear it is the commercial circuit in the Supreme Court.
It is required that the ground of the objection to the judgment be one of the following:
- Violating Sharia or the laws: violating the provisions of Islamic Sharia or the laws, or an error in applying or interpreting them, or violating a judicial principle issued by the Supreme Court.
- A defect in the court that issued the judgment: it was issued by a court without jurisdiction, or by a court not properly constituted under the provisions of the Law.
- Error in characterization: an error in characterizing the facts or describing them.
- Conflicting judgments: it decided a dispute contrary to another judgment previously issued between the parties to the case.
So the article ties objection before the Supreme Court to these specific grounds, and therefore the objector needs to state which of them they rely on.
This article does not set a deadline for objection before the Supreme Court. It is connected to Article 89, which provides that objection before the Supreme Court does not stop enforcement of the judgment, while allowing the court to order a stay of enforcement if requested in the objection statement and if it assesses that enforcement would cause effects that cannot be remedied. It is also connected to Article 87, which regulates filing a petition for reconsideration with the court that issued the final judgment.
To draft the grounds of an objection before the Supreme Court, it is advisable to consult a lawyer specialized in commercial cases.
Practical example
An appeal circuit upheld a judgment against a company in Dammam, and the company believes the judgment decided a dispute contrary to another judgment previously issued between it and the same party. This is one of the grounds the article mentions for objection before the commercial circuit in the Supreme Court.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
How we write and review contentA question about Article 88 of Commercial Courts Law?
Describe what happened and specialist lawyers answer. You can write in English.
- Completely free
- Lawyers from the directory answer
- Your name stays hidden
Commercial & Corporate Law lawyers: ask a specialist about your case
Describe your situation briefly and we'll suggest a lawyer who specialises in this law
Commercial & Corporate Law lawyers
Lawyers who handle this kind of case
شركة امتداد النظام للمحاماة والاستشارات المهنية
- Labour & Employment Law
- Criminal Law
- Criminal Law
- Commercial & Corporate Law
Frequently asked questions about Article 88 of the Saudi Commercial Courts Law
What are the grounds for objection before the Supreme Court in commercial cases?
Violating Islamic Sharia or the laws or an error in applying or interpreting them or violating a judicial principle of the Supreme Court; issuance by a court without jurisdiction or not properly constituted; an error in characterizing or describing the facts; and deciding a dispute contrary to a previous judgment between the parties.
Who hears objections to commercial appeal circuit judgments?
The commercial circuit in the Supreme Court.
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 78
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.
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
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.