Article 27 of the Saudi Enforcement Law before the Board of Grievances
المادة 27 من نظام التنفيذ أمام ديوان المظالم · الباب الثالث: منازعات التنفيذ والدعاوى الناشئة عنه
The article prevents an enforcement dispute from including an objection to the judgment whose enforcement is disputed, and stops procedures, time limits and the admission of new requests if the objection court orders enforcement suspended.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
1- لا يجوز أن تتضمن منازعة التنفيذ اعتراضاً على الحكم المتنازع في تنفيذه.
2- يترتب على صدور أمر بوقف التنفيذ من المحكمة المختصة بنظر الاعتراض على الحكم توقف جميع الإجراءات والمهل المتعلقة به، ولا تقبل الطلبات والمنازعات التي ترفع بعد أمر الوقف حتى يتم الفصل في الاعتراض.
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 27 explained in plain English
This article draws a clear line between an enforcement dispute and an objection to the judgment:
- A dispute is not an objection: an enforcement dispute may not include an objection to the judgment whose enforcement is disputed. This is consistent with Article 1's definition of an enforcement dispute as a lawsuit relating to the conditions for the validity of enforcement and the soundness of its procedures. Someone who believes the judgment itself is wrong must object to the judgment before the court competent to hear that objection, not through an enforcement dispute.
- A suspension order from the objection court: if an order suspending enforcement is issued by the court competent to hear the objection to the judgment, it results in:
- the suspension of all procedures and time limits relating to enforcement;
- the non-admission of requests and disputes filed after the suspension order until the objection is decided.
The practical meaning is that the enforcement file is frozen if the objection court orders suspension: time limits do not run and no new requests or disputes are admitted until the objection is decided.
It is preceded by Article 26, which requires the dispute to be heard expeditiously and provides that a judgment suspending enforcement suspends all procedures and time limits. It is followed by Article 28, which allows a request to suspend enforcement where there is ambiguity or confusion in the judgment that prevents its enforcement.
If you have a specific situation, it is best to consult a lawyer specialized in administrative and enforcement cases before the Board of Grievances.
Practical example
A judgment was issued in favor of an employee against a government body, and the body filed an enforcement dispute trying to prove that the judgment is wrong on the merits. That is not permitted in an enforcement dispute. But if the court hearing the body's objection to the judgment orders its enforcement suspended, all enforcement procedures and time limits stop, and no new requests or disputes are admitted until the objection is decided.
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 27 of the Saudi Enforcement Law before the Board of Grievances
Can a judgment be challenged through an enforcement dispute?
No. An enforcement dispute may not include an objection to the judgment whose enforcement is disputed.
What is the effect of the objection court ordering enforcement suspended?
All procedures and time limits relating to enforcement stop, and requests and disputes filed after the suspension order are not admitted until the objection is decided.
What is the difference between an enforcement dispute and an objection to the judgment?
An enforcement dispute is a lawsuit relating to the conditions for the validity of enforcement and the soundness of its procedures, as Article 1 defines it, and it may not include an objection to the judgment itself.
More articles on Enforcement Disputes and Stay of Enforcement
- Article 1
The article defines the key terms used in the Enforcement Law before the Board of Grievances, such as the Court, the instrument and the enforcement dispute.
يقصد بالألفاظ والعبارات الآتية -أينما وردت في هذا النظام- المعاني المبينة أمام كل منها، ما لم يقتضِ السياق خلاف ذلك: 1- النظام: نظام التنفيذ أمام ديوان المظالم.
- Article 25
The article allows any interested person, among the parties to enforcement or others, to file an enforcement dispute by a statement of claim lodged with the competent court under the procedures for filing a lawsuit, and sets out its contents.
ترفع منازعة التنفيذ -من كل ذي مصلحة من أطراف التنفيذ أو غيرهم- بصحيفة تودع لدى المحكمة المختصة وفق الإجراءات المعتادة لرفع الدعوى، على أن تتضمن الصحيفة بيانات ا
- Article 26
The article requires an enforcement dispute to be heard expeditiously, subjects a provisional request to suspend or continue enforcement to the rules on urgent lawsuits, and makes a judgment suspending enforcement stop all procedures and time limits.
1- تنظر منازعة التنفيذ على وجه السرعة، وإذا تضمنت طلباً وقتيًا بوقف التنفيذ أو الاستمرار فيه فيخضع للأحكام المنظمة للدعاوى المستعجلة. 2- يترتب على الحكم بوقف ال
- Article 28
The article allows enforcement to be suspended where ambiguity or confusion in the judgment prevents its enforcement, until its interpretation is decided, and gives fifteen days from notice of the suspension order to request interpretation.
1- لأي من أطراف التنفيذ أو المنازعة أن يطلب من دائرة التنفيذ وقف التنفيذ عند وجود غموض أو لبس في الحكم محل الطلب أو المنازعة يحول دون تنفيذه، وللدائرة أن تأمر ب
- Article 29
The article allows the Enforcement Circuit to rule that enforcement of an instrument has become impossible for any reason, and provides that lack of appropriations or posts in the administrative body's budget is not impossibility.
إذا تبين لدائرة التنفيذ أن تنفيذ السند أصبح متعذرًا لأي سبب فإنها تحكم بإثبات ذلك، ولا يعد من حالات تعذر التنفيذ عدم توفر الاعتمادات أو الوظائف في ميزانية الجهة
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.