Article 171 of the Saudi Criminal Procedure Law

المادة 171 من نظام الإجراءات الجزائية · الفصل السادس: إجراءات الجلسة ونظامها

Article 171 permits the court to assign an expert on a technical matter who submits a written report a copy of which the litigants may obtain, requires an interpreter for those who do not understand Arabic, and provides ta'zir for an expert or interpreter who deliberately defaults or lies.

Official text (Arabic)

This article has not been amended since the law was issued.

للمحكمة أن تندب خبيرًا أو أكثر لإبداء الرأي في مسألة فنية متعلقة بالقضية. ويقدم الخبير إلى المحكمة تقريرًا مكتوبًا يبين فيه رأيه خلال المدة التي تحددها له. وللخصوم الحصول على صورة من التقرير. وإذا كان الخصوم، أو الشهود، أو أحدهم لا يفهم اللغة العربية، فعلى المحكمة أن تستعين بمترجم أو أكثر. وإذا ثبت أن أحدًا من الخبراء أو المترجمين تعمد التقصير أو الكذب، فعلى المحكمة الحكم بتعزيره على ذلك.

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 171 explained in plain English

This article regulates the use of experts and interpreters during the trial:

First: experts

The court may assign one or more experts to give an opinion on a technical matter related to the case.
The expert submits to the court a written report stating his opinion, within the period the court sets for him.
The litigants may obtain a copy of the report.

Second: interpreters

If the litigants or the witnesses, or any of them, do not understand the Arabic language, the court must use one or more interpreters. This is a duty on the court and not a discretionary matter.

Third: the penalty

If it is proven that any of the experts or interpreters deliberately defaulted or lied, the court must sentence him to ta'zir for that. The text requires deliberateness, and it does not specify the amount of the ta'zir.

This article is connected to Article 170, which permits the court to order any person to produce something in his possession and to order the seizure of what relates to the case, and to Article 172, which permits each litigant to submit to the court in writing what he has so that it is added to the case file.

A person who wants to challenge an expert's report in his case is advised to seek the help of a lawyer specialized in criminal cases.

Practical example

A migrant worker who does not understand Arabic was accused in a case before a court in Dammam, so the court used an interpreter to convey to him what was happening. The court also assigned an expert to examine camera recordings; he submitted a written report within the period set, and the accused's lawyer obtained a copy of it.

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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