Article 51 of the Saudi Implementing Regulations of the Criminal Procedure Law
المادة 51 من اللائحة التنفيذية لنظام الإجراءات الجزائية · الفصل الثاني: ندب الخبراء
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.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
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 الكشف والفحص والتحاليل الفنية التي باشرها، ومشاهداته والنتائج التي خلص إليها بشكل دقيق ومسبب.
2 - عند تعدد الخبراء واختلافهم في الرأي فعليهم أن يقدموا تقريراً واحداً يتضمن رأي كل واحد منهم، وأسانيده.
3 - للمحقق مناقشة الخبير في التقرير الذي قدمه واستدعاؤه لذلك إذا لزم الأمر.
4 - للخبير الذي يستعين به أيٌّ من الخصوم أن يطلب من جهة التحقيق تمكينه من الاطلاع على الأشياء والأوراق والمستندات المتعلقة بطلب الخبرة أو يطلب صوراً منها، ويكون الإذن في ذلك من صلاحية المحقق.
5 - تضم تقارير الخبرة وجميع مرافقاتها إلى ملف 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 51 explained in plain English
This article of the Implementing Regulations of the Criminal Procedure Law regulates the expert's report that he submits under Article 77 of the Law.
- Content of the report: When he completes his task, the expert submits a report, dated and signed by him, including:
- A summary of the task.
- The procedures of inspection, examination and technical analyses he carried out.
- His observations.
- The conclusions he reached, precisely and with reasons.
- Several experts who differ: They must submit one report including the opinion of each of them and his supporting grounds.
- Discussion with the expert: The investigator may discuss the report with him and summon him for that purpose if necessary.
- A litigant's expert: An expert engaged by any of the litigants may ask the investigating body to enable him to review the items, papers and documents related to the request for expertise, or to give him copies of them, and permission for this is within the investigator's authority.
- The case file: Expert reports and all their attachments are added to the case file.
Useful point for the accused and the victim: Paragraph 4 allows an expert engaged by one of the litigants to ask to review the materials of the expertise, but permission remains with the investigator. It is followed by Article 52 of the Regulations, which regulates objection to the expert, and preceded by Article 50, which regulates delegating the expert and his task.
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 forgery case in Riyadh, two delegated experts differed on whether a signature was the accused's, so they submitted one report with each one's opinion and supporting grounds. The accused engaged a private expert who asked to review the documents, and permission for that rested with the investigator.
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 51 of the Saudi Implementing Regulations of the Criminal Procedure Law
What does the expert's report contain?
A summary of the task, the procedures of inspection, examination and technical analyses, his observations and conclusions, precisely and with reasons, and it is dated and signed by him.
What if the experts differ in opinion?
They submit one report including the opinion of each of them and his supporting grounds.
Is an expert I engage entitled to review the case documents?
He may ask the investigating body for that, and permission is within the investigator's authority.
More articles on Interrogating the Accused and Hearing Witnesses
- Article 50
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.
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،
- 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.