Article 50 of the Saudi Implementing Regulations of the Criminal Procedure Law
المادة 50 من اللائحة التنفيذية لنظام الإجراءات الجزائية · الفصل الثاني: ندب الخبراء
The article requires the investigator's delegation of an expert to be written, stating the task and its time limit, under the investigator's oversight, and regulates giving the expert access to evidence and his duty to perform the task himself.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
1- يكون ندب المحقق للخبير لإبداء رأيه في مسألة متعلقة بالتحقيق - وفقاً لما ورد في المادة (السادسة والسبعين) من النظام - مكتوباً، ويحدد في الندب المهمة المطلوبة، والمدة المحددة لإنجازها، ويخضع الخبير أثناء مباشرته مهمته لرقابة المحقق.
2 - للمحقق تمكين الخبير من الاطلاع على الأشياء والأوراق والمستندات المتعلقة بطلب الخبرة، وتسليمه أصولها أو صوراً منها ــ بحسب الحال ــ ويُثبِت المحقق ذلك في محضر التحقيق. فإن لم تكن هناك أشياء مادية؛ فيأمر المحقق بتمكين الخبير من فحص مكان وقوع الجريمة، والبحث فيه عن أي أثر.
3 - يلتزم الخبير المنتدب بالمهمة المكلف بها، وإذا كان الندب لشخصه لا لصفته فعليه القيام بالمهمة بنفسه، وليس له أن ينيب غيره في ذلك.
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 50 explained in plain English
This article of the Implementing Regulations of the Criminal Procedure Law regulates the investigator's delegation of an expert to give his opinion on a matter related to the investigation, under Article 76 of the Law.
1- Form of the delegation and oversight:
- The delegation is in writing.
- It states the required task and the time limit set for completing it.
- The expert is under the investigator's oversight while carrying out his task.
2- Giving the expert access to evidence:
- The investigator may enable the expert to review the items, papers and documents related to the request for expertise, and hand him the originals or copies as the case may be, recording this in the investigation report.
- If there are no physical items, the investigator orders that the expert be enabled to examine the scene of the crime and search it for any trace.
3- The expert's obligation:
- The expert is bound by the task assigned to him.
- If the delegation is to his person rather than his capacity, he must carry out the task himself and may not assign anyone else.
It is followed by Article 51 of the Regulations, which regulates the expert's report and its content, the case of several experts who differ, and the investigator's discussion with the expert.
If you are a party to a case and want to know how this provision affects your situation, you can consult a lawyer who specializes in criminal cases.
Practical example
In a warehouse fire case in Jeddah, the investigator delegated a named engineer in writing to determine the cause of the fire within a set period, and enabled him to examine the fire site. Because the delegation was to the engineer personally, he may not assign a colleague to carry out the task in his place.
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 50 of the Saudi Implementing Regulations of the Criminal Procedure Law
Must the delegation of an expert be in writing?
Yes, and it states the required task and the time limit set for completing it.
May the expert assign someone else?
If the delegation is to his person rather than his capacity, he must carry out the task himself and may not assign anyone else.
Who oversees the expert's work during the investigation?
The expert is under the investigator's oversight while carrying out his task.
More articles on Interrogating the Accused and Hearing Witnesses
- Article 51
The article sets the content of the expert's report, the case of several experts who differ, the investigator's discussion with the expert, a litigant's expert's right to review materials, and adding reports to the case file.
1- يقدم الخبير عند إنجاز مهمته المطلوبة منه - وفقاً لما ورد في المادة (السابعة والسبعين) من النظام - تقريراً مؤرخاً وموقعاً منه يتضمن ملخصاً للمهمة وإجراءات الك
- Article 52
The article leaves assessing urgent cases to the investigator, bars repeating an objection to an expert once rejected unless new grounds arise, and allows raising it before the court.
1- يرجع في تقدير الأحوال التي تقتضي الاستعجال - المشار إليه في المادة (الثامنة والسبعين) من النظام - إلى المحقق. 2 - في حال عدم قبول المحقق للاعتراض - المشار إل
- Article 67
This article of the Regulations regulates hearing a witness before the investigator: notifying him, interpretation, deficient capacity, a reasoned refusal to hear him, and how his testimony is taken and discussed.
1- يكون تبليغ الشاهد للحضور لسماع أقواله بالوسيلة المناسبة التي يراها المحقق. 2 - إذا كان الشاهد لا يتحدث العربية أو يتحدثها بلهجة يصعب فهمها؛ فيستعين المحقق بث
- Article 68
This article of the Regulations requires the witness's testimony and answers to be recorded verbatim, and the interpreter's name, those present, and the place and time of the testimony to be recorded in the investigation report.
تدون في محضر التحقيق شهادة الشاهد وأجوبته عن الأسئلة المطروحة عليه بنصها كما نطق بها، ويثبت فيه - بالإضافة إلى البيانات الواردة في المادة (السادسة والتسعين) من
- Article 69
This article of the Regulations allows the investigator to prevent witnesses from communicating with each other, explains the two methods of confrontation and what is recorded in it, and allows a witness's identity to be concealed where needed.
1- للمحقق اتخاذ ما يراه لمنع اتصال الشهود الحاضرين ببعضهم، حتى ينتهي من سماع شهادة كل منهم. 2 - تكون المواجهة - المنصوص عليها في المادة (الثامنة والتسعين) من ال
- Article 70
This article of the Regulations leaves the assessment of a witness's excuse for not attending to the investigator, and allows him to delegate someone else to hear a witness living outside his territorial jurisdiction, or to hear him himself with approval.
1- يُرجع في تقدير العذر المانع من حضور الشاهد - وفق ما ورد في المادة (المائة) من النظام - إلى المحقق. 2 - إذا كانت إقامة الشاهد خارج حدود اختصاص المحقق المكاني،
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.