Article 60 of the Saudi Criminal Procedure Law

المادة 60 من نظام الإجراءات الجزائية · الفصل الخامس: ضبط الرسائل ومراقبة المحادثات

The article lets the person entitled to seized items ask the competent investigator to hand them over to him, and file a grievance with the head of the investigator's department if refused.

Official text (Arabic)

This article has not been amended since the law was issued.

لصاحب الحق في الأشياء المضبوطة أن يطلب من المحقق المختص تسليمها إليه، وله في حال الرفض أن يتظلم لدى رئيس الدائرة التي يتبعها المحقق.

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 60 explained in plain English

This article gives the person entitled to the seized items a clear route to recover them, in two stages:

The request: he may ask the competent investigator to hand the seized items over to him.
The grievance: if the investigator refuses, he may file a grievance with the head of the department to which the investigator belongs.

It should be noted that the article speaks of the person entitled to the items, an expression that is not limited to the accused; the owner of the item may be another person whose property was seized as part of the case.

The article does not set a deadline for submitting the request or responding to it, does not state the grounds for acceptance or refusal, and does not say what follows the grievance. It establishes the right to request and to file a grievance, and specifies the authority to which each is submitted.

This article is linked to Article 59, which requires 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. It is also linked to Article 61, which requires the investigator and anyone who learns, because of the search, of information about the seized items and papers to keep it confidential and not to benefit from it or disclose it to anyone else except in cases the Law provides, failing which he must be held accountable.

If your request to recover seized items was refused and you want help in preparing the grievance, you may consult a lawyer specialized in criminal cases.

Practical example

A car owned by Abdulaziz in Riyadh was seized because his son was using it when an incident under investigation occurred. Abdulaziz submitted a request to the competent investigator to hand the car over to him, and his request was refused, so he filed a grievance with the head of the department to which the investigator belongs.

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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