Article 202 of the Saudi Criminal Procedure Law
المادة 202 من نظام الإجراءات الجزائية · الفصل الثاني: النقض
The article governs how the Supreme Court decides a cassation on the merits from the papers without examining the facts, by upholding the judgment or setting it aside and remitting it to different judges, and ruling on the merits itself after a second cassation.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
مع عدم الإخلال بما نصت عليه المادتان (العاشرة) و (الحادية عشرة) من هذا النظام، إذا قبلت المحكمة العليا الاعتراض شكلًا، فتفصل في موضوع الاعتراض استنادًا إلى ما في الملف من الأوراق، دون أن تتناول وقائع القضية. فإن لم تقتنع بالأسباب التي بُنِيَ عليها الاعتراض أيدت الحكم، وإلا نقضت الحكم كله أو بعضه - بحسب الحال - مع ذكر المستند، وتعيد القضية إلى المحكمة التي أصدرت الحكم لتحكم فيها من جديد من غير من نظرها. فإن كان النقض للمرة الثانية - وكان الموضوع بحالته صالحًا للحكم - وجب عليها أن تحكم في الموضوع.
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 202 explained in plain English
This article explains what the Supreme Court does once an objection by cassation has been accepted as to form, without prejudice to Articles 10 and 11 of the Law:
- Basis of review: The court decides the merits of the objection on the papers in the file, without examining the facts of the case.
- If it is not persuaded by the grounds: It upholds the judgment.
- If it is persuaded: It sets aside the judgment in whole or in part as the case may be, stating the basis, and returns the case to the court that issued the judgment to be decided anew by judges other than those who heard it.
- Second cassation: If the judgment is set aside for the second time and the subject matter is in a state fit for judgment, the Supreme Court must rule on the merits itself.
This stage is preceded by Article 201, under which the Supreme Court examines the formal requirements of the objection and whether it was filed by a person entitled to seek cassation, and then decides whether to accept or reject it as to form, except in cases of homicide, stoning, amputation and retaliation. It is followed by Article 203, which does not allow a ground to be raised before the Supreme Court if it was not stated in the objection memorandum, unless it concerns public order, in which case the court takes it up on its own motion.
The reference to Articles 10 and 11 means that what those two articles provide remains in force and is not affected by this article; their text is not set out here. Anyone with an objection pending before the Supreme Court is best advised to use a lawyer specialized in criminal cases.
Practical example
The Supreme Court set aside a judgment issued against Mishal in Qassim and returned the case to the court that issued it to be decided anew by judges other than those who had heard it. If the new judgment were set aside a second time and the subject matter were fit for judgment, the Supreme Court would have to rule on it itself.
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 202 of the Saudi Criminal Procedure Law
Does the Supreme Court examine the facts of the case?
No. It decides the merits of the objection on the papers in the file, without examining the facts of the case.
What happens if the Supreme Court sets aside the judgment?
It returns the case to the court that issued the judgment to be decided anew by judges other than those who heard it, stating the basis for setting it aside.
When does the Supreme Court rule on the merits itself?
When the judgment is set aside for the second time and the subject matter is in a state fit for judgment.
Articles this article refers to
- 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
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.