Article 181 of the Saudi Criminal Procedure Law
المادة 181 من نظام الإجراءات الجزائية · الفصل الثامن: الحكم
Article 181 requires the criminal ruling to be read out publicly after it is signed, in the presence of the parties and participating judges, and specifies the particulars the judgment deed must contain.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
1 - يُتْلَى الحكم - بعد التوقيع عليه ممن أصدره - في جلسة علنية ولو كانت الدعوى نظرت في جلسات سرية، وذلك بحضور أطراف الدعوى، ويجب حضور جميع القضاة الذين اشتركوا في إصدار الحكم ما لم يحدث لأحدهم مانع من الحضور.
2 - تصدر المحكمة بعد الحكم صكًا مشتملًا على اسم المحكمة التي أصدرت الحكم، وتاريخ إصداره، وأسماء القضاة، وأسماء الخصوم، ووكلائهم، وأسماء الشهود، والجريمة موضوع الدعوى، وملخص لما قدمه الخصوم من طلبات، أو دفاع، وما استُنِدَ إليه من الأدلة والحجج، وخلاصة الدعوى، وعدد ضبط الدعوى، وتاريخ ضبطها، ثم أسباب الحكم ونصه ومستنده الشرعي، ثم يوقع عليه ويختمه القاضي أو القضاة الذين اشتركوا في الحكم.
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 181 explained in plain English
This article regulates two stages after the ruling is issued in the criminal case: pronouncing the ruling and issuing the judgment deed.
- Reading the ruling out publicly: the ruling is read out after it is signed by those who issued it, and this takes place in a public session even if the case was heard in closed sessions. The reading takes place in the presence of the parties to the case, and all the judges who took part in issuing the ruling must attend, unless one of them is prevented from attending.
- The judgment deed: after the ruling, the court issues a deed that must contain: the name of the court, the date the ruling was issued, the names of the judges, the names of the litigants and their agents, the names of the witnesses, the offense that is the subject of the case, a summary of the litigants' requests or defense, the evidence and arguments relied on, a summary of the case, the number of the case record and its date, and then the grounds of the ruling, its text and its Sharia basis. The deed is signed and sealed by the judge or judges who took part in the ruling.
Article 182 completes this provision by requiring every ruling to be recorded in the register of rulings unless the Supreme Judicial Council decides otherwise, kept in the case file, and a certified copy of it handed to the accused, the public prosecutor and the private right claimant if there is one. Article 180 also requires the ruling to decide the requests of the private right claimant or the accused, except where that requires a special investigation that would delay deciding the criminal case, in which case those requests are deferred.
These particulars help the parties to the case know the grounds of the ruling and its basis. A person who wants to assess a ruling issued in his case is best advised to seek the help of a lawyer specialized in criminal cases.
Practical example
Khaled's case was heard in closed sessions before a criminal court in Jeddah. When the ruling was issued, the court read it out in a public session in his presence and that of the judges who issued it, and then issued a deed containing the names of the litigants and the witnesses, the offense, a summary of his defense, and the grounds of the ruling and its Sharia basis.
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 181 of the Saudi Criminal Procedure Law
Is the ruling read out publicly if the case's sessions were closed?
Yes. The article provides that the ruling is read out in a public session even if the case was heard in closed sessions.
Must all the judges attend when the ruling is pronounced?
All the judges who took part in issuing the ruling must attend, unless one of them is prevented from attending.
What does the criminal judgment deed contain?
It contains the name of the court, the date of the ruling, the names of the judges, the litigants, their agents and the witnesses, the offense, a summary of the requests, defense and evidence, a summary of the case, the number of the case record and its date, and then the grounds of the ruling, its text and its Sharia basis.
More articles on Criminal Judgment and Nullity of Procedures
- Article 3
The article bars imposing any criminal penalty on a person except after his conviction is proven for an act prohibited by Sharia or by law, following a trial conducted according to Sharia requirements.
لا يجوز توقيع عقوبة جزائية على أي شخص، إلا بعد ثبوت إدانته بأمر محظور شرعًا أو نظامًا بعد محاكمة تُجْرى وفقًا للمقتضى الشرعي.
- Article 7
The article requires the number of judges required by law to attend the sessions hearing a case and the judgment session, and says who is assigned to complete the quorum if the number is not met.
يجب أن يحضر جلسات النظر في القضية وجلسة إصدار الحكم العدد اللازم نظامًا من القضاة؛ فإن لم يتوافر العدد اللازم فيكلف رئيس المحكمة من يكمل النصاب من قضاتها، فإن ت
- Article 8
The article requires judges to deliberate in secret before issuing the judgment, which is issued unanimously or by majority, with the minority's opinion stated and answered in the record, and limits deliberation to those who heard the pleading.
على أعضاء المحكمة أن يتداولوا الرأي سرًّا ويناقشوا الحكم قبل إصداره، وأن يبدي كل منهم رأيه في ذلك. وتصدر الأحكام بالإجماع أو الأغلبية. وعلى الأقلية أن توضح رأيه
- Article 91
The article requires a decision on how seized items are to be disposed of when an order is made to close the case, and also when judgment is given if their return is claimed before the court.
يجب - عند صدور أمر بحفظ الدعوى - أن يُفْصَل في كيفية التصرف في الأشياء المضبوطة، وكذلك الحال عند الحكم في الدعوى إذا حصلت المطالبة بردها أمام المحكمة.
- Article 178
Article 178 provides that if the court rules that an official paper is forged in whole or in part, it orders it canceled or corrected as the case may be, and minutes are drawn up and noted on the paper.
في حال حكم المحكمة بثبوت تزوير ورقة رسمية - كلها أو بعضها - فتأمر بإلغائها، أو تصحيحها - بحسب الأحوال - ويحرر بذلك محضر يؤشر على الورقة بمقتضاه.
- Article 179
Article 179 requires the court to base its ruling on the evidence submitted to it during the hearing of the case, and bars the judge from ruling according to his own knowledge or contrary to his knowledge.
تستند المحكمة في حكمها إلى الأدلة المقدمة إليها أثناء نظر القضية، ولا يجوز للقاضي أن يقضي بعلمه ولا بما يخالف علمه.
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.