Article 67 of the Saudi Implementing Regulations of the Criminal Procedure Law
المادة 67 من اللائحة التنفيذية لنظام الإجراءات الجزائية · الفصل الخامس: الاستماع إلى الشهود
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.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
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 بثقة يترجم أقواله.
3 - إذا ظهر للمحقق نقصٌ في أهلية الشاهد، فيصف ما ظهر له، ويأخذ أقوال الشاهد، ويدونها في محضر التحقيق.
4 - إذا رفض المحقق سماع شهادة الشاهد فيتعين عليه إثبات ذلك في محضر التحقيق مسبباً.
5 - يطلب المحققُ من الشاهد الإدلاء بمعلوماته التي لها صلة بموضوع التحقيق، ويتركه يسترسل في إجابته وسرد ما لديه عن ذلك، ولا يقاطعـه، ما لم يخرج عن الموضوع، وذلك دون التأثير على إرادته بأي وسيلة.
6 - إذا فرغ الشاهد من شهادته، ناقشه المحقق فيها بالقدر الذي يتحقق به من صحة هذه الشهادة، ولا يظهر أمام الشاهد بمظهر المتشكك في أقواله، ويستوضح - بقدر الإمكان - من الشاهد عن وقت الجريمة ومكانها، وكيفية وقوعها، والفاعل وباعثه.
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 67 explained in plain English
This article of the Implementing Regulations of the Criminal Procedure Law sets practical rules for hearing a witness at the investigation stage, and there are six:
- Notification: The witness is notified to attend to have his statements heard by the appropriate means the investigator sees fit.
- Interpretation: If the witness does not speak Arabic, or speaks it in a dialect that is hard to understand, the investigator uses a trustworthy person to interpret his statements.
- Deficient capacity: If the investigator notices a deficiency in the witness's capacity, he describes what he noticed, takes the witness's statements, and records them in the investigation report.
- Refusal of testimony: If the investigator refuses to hear the witness's testimony, he must record that in the investigation report, stating the reason.
- Freedom to speak: The investigator asks the witness for his information related to the subject of the investigation, and lets him go on and does not interrupt him unless he strays from the subject, without influencing his will by any means.
- Discussion: Once the witness has finished, the investigator discusses it with him to the extent needed to verify its accuracy, without appearing doubtful of his statements, and asks him, as far as possible, to clarify the time and place of the crime, how it occurred, and the perpetrator and his motive.
These rules show the Regulations' concern that testimony be free, clear and documented. It is followed by Article 68 of the Regulations, which requires the witness's testimony and answers to be recorded verbatim as he spoke them, along with other details in the investigation report.
If you have been summoned as a witness and have a question about your position, you can consult a lawyer who specializes in criminal cases.
Practical example
An Asian worker in Riyadh was summoned to give testimony in a theft case, and he does not speak Arabic. Here the investigator uses a trustworthy person to interpret his statements, lets him recount what he saw without interruption as long as he stays on the subject, and then discusses it with him to verify the accuracy of what he said.
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 67 of the Saudi Implementing Regulations of the Criminal Procedure Law
How is a witness notified to attend the investigation?
By the appropriate means the investigator sees fit.
What if the witness does not speak Arabic?
The investigator uses a trustworthy person to interpret his statements, and likewise if he speaks it in a dialect that is hard to understand.
May the investigator refuse to hear a witness's testimony?
The article assumes that is possible, but requires the investigator to record the refusal in the investigation report, stating the reason.
May the investigator interrupt the witness?
He does not interrupt him unless he strays from the subject, and he lets him go on with his answer without influencing his will by any means.
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 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 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.