Article 209 of the Saudi Criminal Procedure Law
المادة 209 من نظام الإجراءات الجزائية · الفصل الثالث: إعادة النظر
The article allows an appeal or cassation, as the case may be, against judgments issued on the merits of the case on a request for reconsideration by a court other than the Supreme Court.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
الأحكام التي تصدر في موضوع الدعوى من غير المحكمة العليا - بناءً على طلب إعادة النظر - يجوز الاعتراض عليها بطلب استئنافها أو بطلب نقضها، بحسب الأحوال.
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 209 explained in plain English
This article states what becomes of the new judgment issued after the case is reconsidered:
- The judgments concerned: judgments issued on the merits of the case on a request for reconsideration.
- The condition: that they are issued by a court other than the Supreme Court.
- The rule: they may be challenged by requesting their appeal or their cassation, as the case may be.
The phrase "as the case may be" means the text does not fix a single route of challenge; the route, appeal or cassation, depends on the status of the judgment issued under the challenge rules in the Law. What the Supreme Court itself issues is outside the scope of this article.
In practical terms, the new judgment after reconsideration is not immune from challenge merely because it was issued after this exceptional route; the parties keep the right to challenge it like any other judgment.
It is preceded by Article 208, which does not allow a request for reconsideration to be renewed if it was rejected on the same facts. It is followed by Article 210, which defines final judgments as those that have become conclusive by not being challenged within the legally set period, or by being upheld by the Supreme Court or issued by it.
A person in whose case a new judgment has been issued after reconsideration should preferably use a lawyer who specializes in criminal cases to determine the appropriate route of challenge and its time limit.
Practical example
A request for reconsideration is accepted in Fahad's case, so the criminal court that issued the judgment in Riyadh hears the case anew and issues a new judgment on its merits. Fahad or the other parties may challenge this judgment by requesting its appeal.
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 209 of the Saudi Criminal Procedure Law
Can a judgment issued after reconsideration be challenged?
Yes. Judgments issued on the merits of the case on a request for reconsideration by a court other than the Supreme Court may be challenged by requesting their appeal or cassation, as the case may be.
Does this include Supreme Court judgments?
No. The article concerns judgments issued by a court other than the Supreme Court.
How do I know whether to appeal or request cassation?
It depends on the case, that is, on the court that issued the new judgment, under the appeal and cassation rules in the Law.
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.