Article 6 of the Saudi Enforcement Law
المادة 6 من نظام التنفيذ · الباب الثاني: الاختصاص
The article provides that where enforcement attachments from two judicial bodies, or from a judicial and an administrative body, meet on the enforcement debtor's assets, all his assets are treated as attached for all requests, supervised by the judicial body that attached first.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
1- استثناءً من أحكام الاختصاص المنصوص عليها في النظام ونظام التنفيذ أمام ديوان المظالم والأنظمة الأخرى ذات الصلة، إذا اجتمع حجز تنفيذي من جهتين قضائيتين أو من جهة قضائية مع جهة إدارية أو من جهتين قضائيتين مع جهة إدارية على أموال المنفذ ضده؛ فتعد جميع أمواله محجوزة لمصلحة كافة طلبات التنفيذ، وتختص الجهة القضائية التي أصدرت أمر الحجز أولاً بالإشراف على الحجوزات المترتبة على تلك الطلبات وما يتعلق بالبيع وتوزيع الحصيلة وإصدار الأحكام والأوامر والقرارات المتعلقة بذلك، وفق الأحكام المنصوص عليها في نظامها المعني بالتنفيذ.
2- يصدر الوزير -بالتنسيق مع المجلس ومجلس القضاء الإداري- قواعد تبين الأحكام والإجراءات اللازمة لما ورد في هذه المادة.
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 6 explained in plain English
This article deals with the competition of enforcement attachments issued by more than one body on the assets of the same person, and sets a uniform rule that prevents conflicting procedures.
When does it apply? If an enforcement attachment on the enforcement debtor's assets comes together in one of the following forms:
- From two judicial bodies.
- From a judicial body together with an administrative body.
- From two judicial bodies together with an administrative body.
What is the effect?
- All of the enforcement debtor's assets are treated as attached for the benefit of all enforcement requests, so no single attaching party monopolizes them.
- The judicial body that issued the attachment order first is competent to supervise the attachments resulting from those requests, the sale and distribution of proceeds, and the issuing of the judgments, orders and decisions relating to that, according to the provisions stated in its own enforcement law.
The article describes this rule as an exception to the jurisdiction provisions in the Enforcement Law, the Enforcement Law before the Board of Grievances, and the other relevant laws. That is, the "first attacher" rule takes precedence over the usual jurisdiction rules in this case.
Paragraph 2 provides that the Minister of Justice, in coordination with the Council and the Administrative Judiciary Council, issues rules setting out the provisions and procedures needed for this article; the article does not state the content of these rules.
This article comes after Article 5, which obliges the holder of the attached asset to notify the later attacher of the first attachment.
Practical example
An enforcement attachment order was issued on the assets of an establishment in Dammam first by the Enforcement Court, and then an enforcement attachment on them was issued by a court of the Board of Grievances. Under this article, all of the establishment's assets are treated as attached for the benefit of all the enforcement requests, and the Enforcement Court, because it issued the attachment first, handles supervising the attachments, the sale and the distribution of proceeds.
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 6 of the Saudi Enforcement Law
What happens if two judicial bodies attach the same debtor's assets?
All of the enforcement debtor's assets are treated as attached for the benefit of all enforcement requests, and the judicial body that issued the attachment order first supervises the attachments.
Who handles selling the assets and distributing the proceeds when attachments compete?
The judicial body that issued the attachment order first, according to the provisions stated in its own enforcement law.
Who issues the detailed rules for competing attachments?
The Minister of Justice issues them in coordination with the Supreme Judicial Council and the Administrative Judiciary Council.
More articles on Enforcement Court and Its Jurisdiction
- Article 1
The article defines the terms used in the Enforcement Law, such as the court, the competent department, the competent force, direct enforcement and enforcement expenses.
يُقصد بالألفاظ والعبارات الآتية -أينما وردت في هذا النظام- المعاني المبيّـنة أمام كل منها، ما لم يقتض السياق غير ذلك: النظام: نظام التنفيذ. اللائحة: اللائحة الت
- Article 2
The article explains that the Enforcement Court consists of first-instance and appeal circuits, or first-instance circuits only, and says where judgments are appealed where the court has no appeal circuits.
1- تتكون المحكمة من دوائر ابتدائيّة ودوائر استئناف، أو من دوائر ابتدائيّة فقط. 2- يكون استئناف الأحكام الصادرة من الدوائر الابتدائيّة في المحكمة التي ليس فيها د
- Article 3
The article obliges all competent authorities, including those supervising or registering assets, to respond to the Enforcement Court's orders and decisions within 3 working days of being notified, unless a special provision exists.
على جميع الجهات المختصة -ومنها الجهات المشرفة على الأموال أو تسجيلها- الاستجابة لأوامر وقرارات المحكمة ذات الصلة بالتنفيذ وإجراءاته خلال مدة لا تتجاوز (ثلاثة) أ
- Article 4
The article sets the Enforcement Court's jurisdiction over supervising enforcement, compulsory enforcement and enforcement disputes, except for criminal penalties and the Board of Grievances' matters, without looking at the underlying right.
1- عدا تنفيذ العقوبات الجزائية وما تختص به محاكم ديوان المظالم، تختص المحكمة بالإشراف على التنفيذ وإجراءاته، وبالتنفيذ الجبري وإجراءاته، وتتولى الفصل في منازعات
- Article 5
The article requires the holder of an asset of the enforcement debtor, where several bodies issued attachment orders on it, to notify the body that issued the later order of the first attachment.
إذا تعددت الجهات التي أصدرت أمر الحجز على مال من أموال المنفذ ضده، فعلى المحجوز لديه المال إشعار الجهة التي أصدرت أمر الحجز اللاحق بالحجز الأول. وتحدد اللائحة ا
- Article 16
The article obliges the authorities supervising or registering assets, or the entities they supervise, to set up a department for enforcement orders, build ownership databases and enable electronic links with the Ministry.
على الجهة المشرفة على الأموال أو تسجيلها أو الكيانات التي تشرف عليها وفق النصوص النظامية ذات العلاقة -بحسب الأحوال- القيام بالآتي: 1- إنشاء أو تحديد إدارة (أو أ
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.