Article 68 of the Saudi Implementing Regulations of the Criminal Procedure Law
المادة 68 من اللائحة التنفيذية لنظام الإجراءات الجزائية · الفصل الخامس: الاستماع إلى الشهود
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.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
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 النظام - اسم المترجم إن وجد وكل من حضر من أطراف القضية، ومكان سماع الشهادة ويومه وتاريخه وساعته.
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 68 explained in plain English
This article of the Implementing Regulations of the Criminal Procedure Law regulates how a witness's testimony is recorded in the investigation report, so that the report is a faithful picture of what the witness said.
The article provides the following:
- Verbatim recording: The witness's testimony and his answers to the questions put to him are recorded exactly as he spoke them, not by their meaning or in the investigator's wording.
- Additional details: The report records, in addition to the details in Article 96 of the Law, the following:
- The interpreter's name, if there is one.
- Everyone present from the parties to the case.
- The place where the testimony was heard.
- The day, date and hour it was heard.
This article does not set out the details contained in Article 96 of the Law, so it should be consulted in the text of the Law.
This article is linked to Article 67 of the Regulations, which regulates hearing the witness, including using a trustworthy person to interpret the statements of a witness who does not speak Arabic, which is why the interpreter's name must be recorded. It is also linked to Article 69, which allows the investigator to prevent the witnesses present from communicating with each other and regulates confrontation, and requires what occurs during it to be recorded in the report.
If you have a comment on how a testimony was recorded in a case of yours, you can consult a lawyer who specializes in criminal cases.
Practical example
Sarah gave her testimony in a case in Makkah and said a phrase in her dialect. The phrase must be recorded as she spoke it, with a record of who was present from the parties to the case and the place, day, date and hour of the testimony.
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 68 of the Saudi Implementing Regulations of the Criminal Procedure Law
Is a witness's testimony written verbatim or by its meaning?
The testimony and answers are recorded exactly as the witness spoke them.
What details are added to the testimony report?
The interpreter's name if there is one, everyone present from the parties to the case, and the place, day, date and hour the testimony was heard, in addition to the details in Article 96 of the Law.
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 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 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.