Article 38 of the Saudi Law of Evidence
المادة 38 من نظام الإثبات · الفرع الأول: أحكام عامة
The Article gives the court power to assess the effect of physical defects in a document on its evidentiary force, to accept all or part of it, and to question its issuer or author where its validity is doubtful.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
1- للمحكمة أن تقدر ما يترتب على العيوب المادية في المحرَّر من إسقاط حجيته في الإثبات أو إنقاصها، ولها أن تأخذ بكل ما تضمنه المحرَّر أو ببعضه.
2- إذا كانت صحة المحرَّر محل شك في نظر المحكمة، فلها أن تسأل من صدر عنه، أو تدعو الشخص الذي حرَّره ليبدي ما يوضح حقيقة الأمر فيه.
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 38 explained in plain English
This Article deals with a document that shows a physical defect, that is, a defect in the paper or document itself. It gives the court broad discretion in this matter:
- The court may assess the effect of physical defects in removing the document's evidentiary force or reducing it.
- It may accept all that the document contains or part of it; it is not bound to accept the whole document or reject the whole document.
- If the validity of the document is in doubt in its view, it may question the person it came from, or call the person who wrote it to clarify the true position regarding it.
These powers are discretionary; the Article says the court may act, and does not bind it to any particular step.
This Article is linked to Article 39, which distinguishes between a claim of forgery, which may apply to both official and ordinary documents, and denial of handwriting, seal, signature or fingerprint, which applies only to ordinary documents, and sets out who bears the burden of proof in each case. A person who faces a document with obvious defects in his case is advised to consult a lawyer specializing in civil litigation.
Practical example
In a dispute over the price of a car in Riyadh, one of the parties submitted a sale paper on which a clear alteration to the amount appeared. The court may assess the effect of this alteration, and may remove or reduce the paper's evidentiary force or accept part of what it contains, and it may call the writer of the paper to clarify the true position.
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 38 of the Saudi Law of Evidence
Is a document automatically rejected if it has a defect?
No. The court assesses the effect of physical defects; it may remove or reduce the document's evidentiary force, and may accept all that it contains or part of it.
What does the court do if it doubts the validity of a document?
It may question the person the document came from, or call the person who wrote it to explain the true position.
Can a judge accept only part of a contract?
Yes. The Article provides that the court may accept all that the document contains or part of it.
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1- المحرَّر الرسمي هو الذي يثبت فيه موظف عام أو شخص مكلف بخدمة عامة، ما تم على يديه أو ما تلقاه من ذوي الشأن، طبقاً للأوضاع النظامية، وفي حدود سلطته واختصاصه. 2
- Article 26
An official document is binding on everyone as to what its author did within his task or what occurred in his presence, unless forgery is proven, and what the persons concerned stated in it is binding on them unless the contrary is proven.
1- المحرَّر الرسمي حجة على الكافة بما دون فيه من أمور قام بها محرره في حدود مهمته، أو حدثت من ذوي الشأن في حضوره؛ ما لم يثبت تزويره بالطرق المقررة نظاماً. 2- يك
- Article 27
An official copy of an official document whose original exists is binding to the extent it matches the original; it is treated as matching unless a person concerned disputes it, in which case it must be compared with the original.
1- إذا كان أصل المحرَّر الرسمي موجوداً، فإن صورته الرسمية تعد حجة بالقدر الذي تكون فيه مطابقة للأصل. 2- تكون الصورة رسمية إذا أخذت من الأصل؛ وفقاً للإجراءات الم
- Article 28
If the original of an official document does not exist, an official copy has the force of the original if its appearance leaves no room for doubt that it matches, and other copies are taken into account only for guidance.
إذا لم يوجد أصل المحرَّر الرسمي فتكون للصورة الرسمية حجية الأصل؛ متى كان مظهرها الخارجي لا يسمح بالشك في مطابقتها للأصل، وما عدا ذلك من الصور فلا يعتد بها إلا ل
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An ordinary document is binding on the person who signed it unless he expressly denies his handwriting, signature, seal or fingerprint, and a denial is not accepted from a person who has discussed the substance of the document before the court.
1- يعد المحرَّر العادي صادراً ممن وقعه وحجة عليه؛ ما لم ينكر صراحة ما هو منسوب إليه من خط أو إمضاء أو ختم أو بصمة، أو ينكر ذلك خلَفُه أو ينفي علمه بأن الخط أو ا
- Article 30
Correspondence that is signed, or proven to be attributable to its sender, has the force of an ordinary document, unless the sender proves that he did not send it and did not assign anyone to send it.
تكون للمراسلات الموقع عليها أو الثابت نسبتها إلى مرسلها؛ حجية المحرَّر العادي في الإثبات، ما لم يثبت المرسل أنه لم يرسل الرسالة ولم يكلف أحداً بإرسالها.
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.