Article 66 of the Saudi Implementing Regulations of the Criminal Procedure Law
المادة 66 من اللائحة التنفيذية لنظام الإجراءات الجزائية · الفصل الرابع: التصرف في الأشياء المضبوطة
This article of the Regulations requires the seizing body to state in the seizure reports which items are quick to spoil and which require large expense to keep.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
على الجهة التي تتولى الضبط أن تبين في محاضر المضبوطات ما يسرع إليه التلف منها وما يستلزم حفظه نفقات كبيرة.
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 66 explained in plain English
This article of the Implementing Regulations of the Criminal Procedure Law places a duty on the body that carries out the seizure when drawing up seizure reports.
This body must state two things in the report:
- What is quick to spoil among the seized items, such as things that go bad with the passage of time.
- What requires large expense to keep, that is, things that cost large sums to hold on to.
The benefit of this statement is that the condition of the seized items is clear from the start to whoever will deal with them later. But the article is limited to the duty to state this in the report; it does not mention what is done afterwards with these items, and does not specify a body or procedure for disposing of them, so no rule it does not state should be inferred from it.
This article comes within Chapter Four of the Regulations on disposing of seized items, and is linked to Article 65, which specifies the court competent over seized items and regulates referring litigants to the locally competent court where there is a dispute over seized items or doubt as to who has the right to receive them.
If items of this kind were seized from you and you fear they will spoil or bear the costs of keeping them, you can consult a lawyer who specializes in criminal cases to learn what you may request.
Practical example
A competent body in Dammam seized a shipment of vegetables and fruit in a case. The body must record in the seizure report that these seized items are quick to spoil.
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 66 of the Saudi Implementing Regulations of the Criminal Procedure Law
What must be stated in the seizure report according to this article?
The seizing body must state which seized items are quick to spoil and which require large expense to keep.
Does the article say what is done with perishable seized items?
No, it requires them to be stated in the report only and does not specify how they are disposed of.
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 60
The article requires the investigator to issue an order attaching items seized during the investigation if they are subject to confiscation.
إذا كانت الاشياء التي ضبطت أثناء التحقيق محلاً للمصادرة؛ فيصدر المحقق أمراً بحجزها.
- 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.
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.