Article 197 of the Saudi Criminal Procedure Law
المادة 197 من نظام الإجراءات الجزائية · الفصل الأول: الاستئناف
Article 197 regulates the court of appeal's examination of the objection: setting a session if pleading, lapse of the right if the appellant is absent for 15 days, examining the file and new evidence, then upholding or quashing the ruling.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
1 - تحدد محكمة الاستئناف جلسة للنظر في طلب الاستئناف أو طلب التدقيق إذا رأت النظر فيه مرافعة، ويبلغ الخصوم بالحضور في الجلسة التي حددت. وإذا كان المتهم سجينًا أو موقوفًا، وجب على الجهة المسؤولة عنه إحضاره إلى محكمة الاستئناف. وعلى المحكمة الفصل في طلب الاستئناف أو طلب التدقيق على وجه السرعة. فإن لم يحضر المستأنف أو من طلب التدقيق بعد إبلاغه بموعد الجلسة - إذا لم يكن سجينًا أو موقوفًا - ومضى خمسة عشر يومًا ولم يطلب السير في الدعوى أو لم يحضر بعد السير فيها؛ فتحكم المحكمة من تلقاء نفسها بسقوط حقه في الاستئناف أو التدقيق، وذلك دون الإخلال بحكم المادة (التاسعة والتسعين بعد المائة) من هذا النظام.
2 - تنظر محكمة الاستئناف في طلب الاستئناف أو طلب التدقيق، استنادًا إلى ما في الملف من الأوراق وما يقدمه الخصوم إليها من دفوع أو بينات جديدة لتأييد أسباب اعتراضهم المقدم في المذكرة. وتحكم بعد سماع أقوال الخصوم في طلب الاستئناف أو طلب التدقيق - إذا رأت النظر فيه مرافعة - بتأييد الحكم أو نقضه كليًا أو جزئيًا وتحكم فيما نُقض.
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 197 explained in plain English
This article explains how the court of appeal examines the request for appeal or review after it is submitted to it:
- Setting the session: if the court sees fit to examine the request by pleading, it sets a session and the litigants are notified to attend it. If the accused is a prisoner or detainee, the body responsible for him must bring him. The court must decide the request promptly.
- Lapse of the right through absence: if the appellant or the person requesting review does not attend after being notified of the session date, and is not a prisoner or detainee, and fifteen days pass without his requesting that the case proceed or without his attending after it proceeds, the court rules on its own initiative that his right to appeal or review has lapsed, without prejudice to the provision of Article 199 to which the article refers.
- Basis of examination: the court examines on the basis of the papers in the file and the defenses or new evidence the litigants submit in support of the grounds of their objection submitted in the memorandum.
- The ruling: after hearing the litigants' statements, if it sees fit to hear the case by pleading, it rules to uphold the ruling or quash it in whole or in part, and rules on what it quashed.
Article 198 follows, giving the convicted person, the public prosecutor and the private right claimant the right to object by requesting cassation before the Supreme Court against rulings and decisions issued or upheld by courts of appeal in specified cases. This stage is preceded by Article 196, under which the circuit that issued the ruling first examines the objection, then submits it if it confirms its ruling.
A person with an appeal request pending is best advised to seek the help of a lawyer specialized in criminal cases to follow the sessions and submit evidence.
Practical example
Hamad appealed a ruling issued against him in Hail, and the court of appeal set a session and notified him of it, but he did not attend although he was not detained, and fifteen days passed without his requesting that the case proceed, so the court ruled on its own initiative that his right to appeal had lapsed.
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 197 of the Saudi Criminal Procedure Law
Is my appeal dropped if I do not attend the session?
If the appellant does not attend after being notified, and is not a prisoner or detainee, and fifteen days pass without his requesting that the case proceed or without his attending after it proceeds, the court rules that his right has lapsed.
Can new evidence be submitted before the court of appeal?
Yes. The court examines on the basis of what is in the file and the defenses or new evidence the litigants submit in support of the grounds of their objection submitted in the memorandum.
What rulings does the court of appeal issue?
It rules to uphold the ruling or quash it in whole or in part, and rules on what it quashed.
Does a detainee attend the appeal session?
Yes. If the accused is a prisoner or detainee, the body responsible for him must bring him to the court of appeal.
Articles this article refers to
More articles on Objecting to Criminal Judgments
- Article 9
The article provides that criminal judgments are open to objection under the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Law.
تكون الأحكام الجزائية قابلة للاعتراض عليها وفقًا للأحكام المنصوص عليها في هذا النظام.
- Article 10
The article provides that judgments issued by the court of appeal, or upheld by it, for death, stoning, amputation or qisas (retaliation) are not final until upheld by the Supreme Court.
الأحكام الصادرة من محكمة الاستئناف أو المؤيدة منها بالقتل، أو الرجم، أو القطع، أو القصاص في النفس أو فيما دونها، لا تكون نهائية إلا بعد تأييدها من المحكمة العلي
- Article 11
The article provides that if the Supreme Court does not uphold a judgment presented to it under Article 10, it sets it aside and returns the case to the court of first instance to rule on it anew by judges other than those who heard it.
إذا لم تؤيد المحكمة العليا الحكم المعروض عليها ـ تطبيقًا للمادة (العاشرة) من هذا النظام ـ فتنقض الحكم، وتعيد القضية إلى محكمة الدرجة الأولى لتحكم فيها من جديد م
- Article 192
Article 192 gives the convicted person, the public prosecutor and the private right claimant the right to request appeal or review of first-instance rulings, and requires the court to inform them of this right when pronouncing the ruling.
1 - للمحكوم عليه وللمدعي العام وللمدعي بالحق الخاص؛ طلب استئناف أو تدقيق الأحكام الصادرة من محاكم الدرجة الأولى خلال المدة المقررة نظامًا. وعلى المحكمة التي تصد
- Article 193
Article 193 sets an appointment of at most ten days after the ruling is pronounced to receive a copy of the judgment deed, makes depositing it in the file, if the parties do not attend, the start of the objection period, and regulates handing it to a prisoner or detainee.
تحدد المحكمة بعد النطق بالحكم موعدًا أقصاه عشرة أيام لتسلم صورة صك الحكم، مع إثبات ذلك في ضبط القضية وأخذ توقيع الخصوم. فإن لم يحضر أيّ منهم لتسلم صورة صك الحكم
- Article 194
Article 194 sets the objection period for requesting appeal or review at thirty days, after which the right lapses, and requires that rulings of death, stoning, amputation and retaliation be submitted to the court of appeal even if no one requests it.
مدة الاعتراض بطلب الاستئناف أو التدقيق ثلاثون يومًا. فإذا لم يقدم المعترض اعتراضه خلال هذه المدة سقط حقه في طلب الاستئناف أو التدقيق. وإذا كان الحكم صادرًا بالق
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.