Article 52 of the Saudi Implementing Regulations of the Criminal Procedure Law
المادة 52 من اللائحة التنفيذية لنظام الإجراءات الجزائية · الفصل الثاني: ندب الخبراء
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.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
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 إليه في المادة (الثامنة والسبعين) من النظام - فلا يقبل الاعتراض على الخبير نفسه مرة أخرى، ما لم تَجِدّ أسباب تؤيد ذلك.
3 - لا يحول عدم قبول المحقق للاعتراض على الخبير من التقدم به أمام المحكمة عند نظر 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 52 explained in plain English
This article of the Implementing Regulations of the Criminal Procedure Law deals with matters related to Article 78 of the Law, including objection to an expert.
1- Assessing urgency: Assessing the circumstances that call for the urgency referred to in Article 78 of the Law is left to the investigator.
2- No repeated objection: If the investigator does not accept the objection, an objection to the same expert is not accepted again, unless grounds arise that support it. New grounds reopen the door to objection.
3- The right to raise it before the court: The investigator's rejection of the objection does not prevent raising it before the court when it hears the case.
What does this mean for you? If you object to an expert and the investigator rejects your objection, you cannot repeat it during the investigation on the same grounds, but you may still raise it before the court when it hears the case, or renew it in the investigation if new grounds appear. This article does not state the grounds or procedures for objection; those are in the text of Article 78 of the Law, which is not set out here.
This article follows Article 51 of the Regulations, which regulates the expert's report and its discussion, and closes the Regulations' provisions on delegating experts.
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
An accused person in Jeddah objected to an expert delegated in his case, and the investigator rejected the objection. The accused cannot repeat the objection to the same expert before the investigator unless new grounds appear, but he may raise it before the court when it hears the case.
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 52 of the Saudi Implementing Regulations of the Criminal Procedure Law
Can an objection to an expert be repeated after it is rejected?
An objection to the same expert is not accepted again unless grounds arise that support it.
Can the expert be objected to before the court after the investigator rejects the objection?
Yes, the investigator's rejection of the objection does not prevent raising it before the court when it hears the case.
Who assesses the urgent cases referred to in Article 78 of the Law?
Their assessment is left to the investigator.
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 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 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.