Article 60 of the Saudi Implementing Regulations of the Criminal Procedure Law
المادة 60 من اللائحة التنفيذية لنظام الإجراءات الجزائية · الفصل الرابع: التصرف في الأشياء المضبوطة
The article requires the investigator to issue an order attaching items seized during the investigation if they are subject to confiscation.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
إذا كانت الاشياء التي ضبطت أثناء التحقيق محلاً للمصادرة؛ فيصدر المحقق أمراً بحجزها.
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 60 explained in plain English
This article of the Implementing Regulations of the Criminal Procedure Law opens the provisions on disposing of seized items, and deals with items that are subject to confiscation.
What does the article provide?
- If items seized during the investigation are subject to confiscation,
- the investigator issues an order attaching them.
Practical meaning of the provision: These items are not returned to their owner during the investigation, but remain attached by order of the investigator. The article does not state when items are subject to confiscation, or who decides the confiscation itself; it is limited to the procedure the investigator takes, which is attachment.
Relationship to neighboring articles: It is complemented by Article 61 of the Regulations, which provides that if seized items are things whose possession is prohibited by sharia or law, or are subject to confiscation, the investigator must take what is necessary to destroy them or to demand their confiscation, as the case may be. Attachment under this article is thus a step that precedes what Article 61 provides. It also relates to Article 35 of the Regulations, which regulates securing and keeping seized items and bars custodian bodies from disposing of them except with written permission from the Bureau.
This article comes after Article 59, which deals with correspondence between the accused and his lawyer.
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
During an investigation in Riyadh, a car suspected of being used in the crime was seized, and it was subject to confiscation. The investigator issued an order attaching it, so it is not returned to its owner during the investigation.
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 60 of the Saudi Implementing Regulations of the Criminal Procedure Law
What happens to seized items that are subject to confiscation?
The investigator issues an order attaching them.
Does the investigator handle destruction or demanding confiscation?
Under Article 61 of the Regulations, the investigator must take what is necessary to destroy items whose possession is prohibited, or to demand confiscation of items subject to confiscation, as the case may be.
More articles on Seized Items and Their Return
- Article 35
The article regulates sealing and guarding after a search, securing weapons, explosives, narcotics, cash and jewelry, handing over seized items, and the ban on disposing of them without the Bureau's permission.
1- على رجل الضبط الجنائي قبل مغادرة مكان التفتيش أن يضع الأختام على الأماكن التي فيها آثار أو أشياء تفيد في كشف الحقيقة ويتعذر تحريزها، أو أن يضعها تحت الحراسة.
- Article 36
The article makes breaking the seals on containers of seized items the investigator's task after checking the seal is intact, with a report, resealing, and inviting the accused, his agent or the person from whom the items were seized.
1- يكون فض أختام أحراز المضبوطات - استناداً إلى المادة (الحادية والخمسين) من النظام - بمعرفة المحقق. وعليه أن يتأكد من سلامة الختم قبل فضه، ويحرَّر محضرٌ بذلك،
- Article 55
The article sets what the investigator does on reaching the crime scene: inspecting, recording and hearing initial information, with the option of sealing places, and requires seizing and securing whatever relates to the crime.
1- يبدأ المحقق فور وصوله إلى مكان وقوع الجريمة بإجراء المعاينة اللازمة، وإلقاء نظرة فاحصة وشاملة على مكان وقوع الجريمة، ويثبت حالة الأشخاص، والأشياء، والآثار ال
- Article 61
This article of the Regulations requires the investigator to take what is necessary to destroy seized items whose possession is prohibited by sharia or law, or to demand confiscation of those subject to confiscation.
إذا كانت المضبوطات مما تُمنع حيازته شرعاً أو نظاماً، أو كانت محلاً للمصادرة؛ فعلى المحقق إجراء ما يلزم حيال إتلافها أو المطالبة بمصادرتها، وذلك بحسب الأحوال.
- Article 62
This article of the Regulations specifies who is competent to return seized items: the investigator before the case is filed with the court, and the head of the judicial circuit after it is filed.
يختص المحقق برد المضبوطات قبل رفع القضية إلى المحكمة، وبعد رفعها يكون ذلك من اختصاص رئيس الدائرة القضائية.
- Article 63
This article of the Regulations specifies the competent court referred to in Article 90 of the Law, and what it does where seized items are disputed or it is doubtful who is entitled to receive them.
1- المحكمة المختصة الوارد ذكرها في المادة (التسعين) من النظام هي المحكمة المختصة المنصوص عليها في المادة (الثامنة والثمانين) من النظام. 2- إذا رفع الأمر إلى الم
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.