Article 73 of the Saudi Implementing Regulations of the Criminal Procedure Law
المادة 73 من اللائحة التنفيذية لنظام الإجراءات الجزائية · الفصل السادس: الاستجواب والمواجهة
This article of the Regulations requires the necessity of interrogating the accused outside the investigating body's premises to be recorded in the report, and obliges the detaining body to transfer him or facilitate interrogating him at its premises.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
1- إذا وجد المحقق ضرورة لاستجواب المتهم خارج مقر جهة التحقيق - وفقاً للمادة (الثانية بعد المائة) من النظام - فيدون ذلك في محضر التحقيق.
2 - على الجهة الموقوف لديها المتهم نقله إلى مكان استجوابه، وتسهيل مهمة المحقق إذا قرر إجراء الاستجواب في مقرها.
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 73 explained in plain English
This article of the Implementing Regulations of the Criminal Procedure Law deals with the place where the accused is interrogated when it is not the investigating body's usual premises.
It has two paragraphs:
- Interrogation outside the premises: If the investigator finds it necessary to interrogate the accused outside the investigating body's premises, under Article 102 of the Law, he must record that in the investigation report. The article requires a necessity assessed by the investigator, and requires it to be documented.
- Duty of the body holding the accused: This body must transfer the accused to the place of his interrogation, and facilitate the investigator's task if he decides to conduct the interrogation at its premises.
The article thus ensures that the accused being detained at a particular body does not obstruct the investigation, whether the accused is brought to the investigator or the investigator goes to him. It does not state the forms the necessity may take, nor explain the content of Article 102 of the Law, which should be consulted in its text.
This article is linked to Article 72 of the Regulations, which details the contents of the interrogation report and how the accused is questioned and signs; these rules apply to the report wherever the interrogation takes place. It is also linked to Article 74 on validating the accused's confession before a judicial circuit competent by subject matter.
If you have a relative in detention and want to know the investigation procedures concerning him, you can consult a lawyer who specializes in criminal cases.
Practical example
Abdullah is held at a detention facility in Dammam, and the investigator saw a necessity to interrogate him at that facility's premises. The investigator records this in the investigation report, and the detaining body must facilitate his task within its premises.
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 73 of the Saudi Implementing Regulations of the Criminal Procedure Law
Can the accused be interrogated outside the investigating body's premises?
Yes, if the investigator finds it necessary under Article 102 of the Law, and he records that in the investigation report.
What is the role of the detaining body in interrogating an accused held by it?
It must transfer him to the place of his interrogation, and facilitate the investigator's task if he decides to conduct the interrogation at its premises.
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 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
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.