Article 74 of the Saudi Implementing Regulations of the Criminal Procedure Law
المادة 74 من اللائحة التنفيذية لنظام الإجراءات الجزائية · الفصل السادس: الاستجواب والمواجهة
This article of the Regulations provides that the accused's confession is validated by a judicial circuit competent by subject matter, and requires the confession and what appears about his capacity to be recorded in the court record.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
1- يصدق اعتراف المتهم المنصوص عليه في الفقرة (2) من المادة (الأولى بعد المائة) من النظام من دائرة قضائية مختصة نوعاً.
2 - يدون في الضبط اعتراف المتهم عند التصديق، وكذلك ما يظهر للدائرة حيال أهليته وما يبدو عليها من عوارض، ويشرح بذلك على محضر التحقيق.
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 74 explained in plain English
This article of the Implementing Regulations of the Criminal Procedure Law deals with validating the accused's confession, a procedure carried out before the judiciary.
It has two paragraphs:
- The validating body: The accused's confession provided for in paragraph 2 of Article 101 of the Law is validated by a judicial circuit competent by subject matter, that is, a circuit whose jurisdiction covers the type of case.
- What is recorded at validation: The court record contains the accused's confession at the time of validation, as well as what appears to the circuit about his capacity and any impairments that show in it, and this is annotated on the investigation report.
The circuit therefore does not merely record the confession; it records its observations about the accused's capacity and any impairments that may show in it, and this is then noted on the investigation report itself so that the investigation file is tied to what took place before the circuit.
This article does not explain the content of paragraph 2 of Article 101 of the Law, or the legal effect of validation or its absence, so the text of the Law should be consulted.
This article is linked to Article 72 of the Regulations, which regulates taking the accused's signature on his confession during interrogation, and to Article 73 on interrogation outside the investigating body's premises, and is followed by Article 75 on notifying the person required for investigation by a summons.
If you are asked to have your confession validated, it is advisable to consult a lawyer who specializes in criminal cases.
Practical example
An accused person in a case in Madinah confessed before the investigator, then was referred to have his confession validated. Validation takes place before a judicial circuit competent by subject matter for his case; the circuit records the confession and what appears to it about his capacity in the court record, and this is annotated on the investigation report.
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 74 of the Saudi Implementing Regulations of the Criminal Procedure Law
Who validates the accused's confession?
A judicial circuit competent by subject matter, under paragraph 1 of this article.
What is recorded when the confession is validated?
The confession is recorded in the court record, along with what appears to the circuit about the accused's capacity and any impairments that show in it, and this is annotated on the investigation report.
More articles on Interrogating the Accused and Hearing Witnesses
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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
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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.