Article 58 of the Saudi Criminal Procedure Law
المادة 58 من نظام الإجراءات الجزائية · الفصل الخامس: ضبط الرسائل ومراقبة المحادثات
The article limits viewing seized letters, messages, papers and items and listening to recordings to the investigator alone, who may order them or copies added to the case file or returned to their possessor or addressee.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
للمحقق وحده الاطلاع على الخطابات والرسائل والأوراق والأشياء الأخرى المضبوطة، وله أن يستمع إلى التسجيلات، وله - بحسب مقتضيات التحقيق - أن يأمر بضمها أو نسخ منها إلى ملف القضية، أو يأمر بردها إلى من كان حائزًا لها أو مرسلة إليه.
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 58 explained in plain English
This article regulates who may view seized items and recordings and what is done with them.
Viewing is exclusive to the investigator:
- The investigator alone may view the seized letters, messages, papers and other items.
- He may listen to the recordings.
The word "alone" means that this viewing is not available to anyone else under this article, to protect the privacy of what was seized.
Disposal of the seized items: the investigator, as the requirements of the investigation dictate, may order one of two things:
- Adding them, or copies of them, to the case file.
- Returning them to the person who possessed them or to whom they were sent.
What the investigation does not need can therefore be returned to its owner, and what it does need is added to the file in the original or as a copy.
This article is linked to Article 57, under which the head of the Investigation and Public Prosecution may order the seizure of messages, letters, printed matter and parcels and authorize the monitoring and recording of telephone conversations by a reasoned order for a period of no more than 10 days, renewable. Article 59 complements it by requiring the content of seized letters and postal and telegraphic messages to be communicated to the accused or the addressee, or a copy given to him, as soon as possible, unless that would harm the progress of the investigation.
Anyone whose messages or papers were seized and who wants to recover them may consult a lawyer specialized in criminal cases.
Practical example
A group of letters was seized from Mohammed in Dammam as part of an investigation. The investigator alone viewed them, and found that some of them relate to the case, so he ordered copies of them to be added to its file, and found others to be family messages unrelated to the investigation, so he ordered them returned to Mohammed.
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 58 of the Saudi Criminal Procedure Law
Who may view seized messages?
The investigator alone may view the seized letters, messages, papers and other items, and he may listen to the recordings.
Are seized messages returned to their owner?
The investigator, as the requirements of the investigation dictate, may order them returned to the person who possessed them or to whom they were sent, or order them or copies of them added to the case file.
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لا يجوز التفتيش إلا للبحث عن الأشياء الخاصة بالجريمة الجاري جمع المعلومات عنها، أو التحقيق في شأنها. ومع ذلك، إذا ظهر عرضًا أثناء التفتيش وجود أشياء تعد حيازتها
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.