Article 41 of the Saudi Implementing Regulations of the Criminal Procedure Law
المادة 41 من اللائحة التنفيذية لنظام الإجراءات الجزائية · الفصل الرابع: ضبط الرسائل ومراقبة المحادثات
The article gives a person harmed by the disclosure, without legal justification, of information about seized items and papers by anyone referred to in Article 61 of the Law the right to sue before the competent court.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
للمتضرر من قيام أيٍّ من المشار إليهم في المادة (الحادية والستين) من النظام بإفشاء معلومات عن الأشياء والأوراق المضبوطة دون مسوغ نظامي؛ حق إقامة الدعوى على المتسبب في ذلك لدى المحكمة المختصة.
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 41 explained in plain English
This article of the Implementing Regulations of the Criminal Procedure Law establishes a right for a person harmed by the disclosure of information about seized items.
Conditions of the right:
- The disclosure must be made by one of the persons referred to in Article 61 of the Law; this article does not name them, so the text of the Law should be consulted.
- The disclosure must be of information about seized items and papers.
- The disclosure must be without legal justification; if there is a legal justification, the provision does not apply.
- There must be harm suffered by the person who wishes to sue.
What can the harmed person do?
He has the right to bring a lawsuit against whoever caused the disclosure before the competent court. The article does not specify the type of court or what may be claimed; it establishes the basic right to sue.
Relationship to neighboring articles: This article closes the Regulations' provisions on seizing correspondence and monitoring conversations, following Article 40, which makes notifying the accused of the contents of letters and messages the task of the investigator or whoever he delegates. Related in meaning is Article 46 of the Regulations, under which the Bureau informing relevant government bodies about investigation procedures and their results is not considered a disclosure of secrets as referred to in Article 68 of the Law.
If you believe you were harmed by such a disclosure, you can consult a lawyer who specializes in criminal cases or compensation claims to assess your situation.
Practical example
Commercial papers belonging to Saad were seized during an investigation in Riyadh, and their details were then leaked without legal justification by one of those referred to in Article 61 of the Law, damaging his business reputation. Under this article, Saad has the right to sue whoever caused it before the competent court.
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 41 of the Saudi Implementing Regulations of the Criminal Procedure Law
Can I sue someone who disclosed information about my seized papers?
A person harmed by the disclosure, without legal justification, of information about seized items and papers by anyone referred to in Article 61 of the Law has the right to sue whoever caused it before the competent court.
Does every disclosure give a right to sue?
The article requires that the disclosure be without legal justification and that someone be harmed by it.
Where is the lawsuit filed?
Before the competent court; the article does not specify its type.
More articles on Seizing Letters and Monitoring Calls
- Article 37
The article provides that the rule in Article 56 of the Criminal Procedure Law covers modern, non-public electronic means of communication.
يشمل حـكم المادة (السادسة والخمسين) من النظام وسائلَ التواصل الإلكترونية الحديثة غير العلنية.
- Article 38
The article requires that seized messages, letters, printed matter and parcels be recorded in a report, and provides that seizure or monitoring ends once its purpose is achieved.
1- يجب إثبات ما يُضبط - وفقاً للمادة (السابعة والخمسين) من النظام - من الرسائل والخطابات والمطبوعات والطرود؛ في محضر يوقعه القائم بالضبط، تبين فيه أوصاف المضبوط
- Article 39
The article obliges the competent bodies to provide all available resources when the head of the Bureau orders correspondence to be seized or permits phone conversations to be monitored and recorded.
عند صدور أمر رئيس الهيئة بضبط الرسائل والخطابات والمطبوعات والطرود، أو إذنه بمراقبة المحادثات الهاتفية وتسجيلها؛ فعلى الجهات المختصة توفير جميع الإمكانات المتاح
- Article 40
The article makes notifying the accused of the contents of letters, postal and telegraph messages under Article 59 of the Law the task of the investigator or whoever he delegates.
يكون تبليغ المتهم بمضمون الخطابات والرسائل البريدية والبرقية - وفقاً للمادة (التاسعة والخمسين) من النظام - عن طريق المحقق أو من يندبه.
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.