Article 133 of the Saudi Law of Sharia Procedure
المادة 133 من نظام المرافعات الشرعية · الباب التاسع: إجراءات الإثبات
The article allows experts to be challenged on the grounds that permit challenging judges; the court decides the request by an unappealable judgment, and it is not accepted from the party who chose the expert unless the ground is new, or after pleadings close.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يجوز رد الخبراء للأسباب التي تجيز رد القضاة، وتفصل المحكمة التي عيّنت الخبير في طلب الرد بحكم غير قابل للاعتراض. ولا يقبل طلب رد الخبير من الخصم الذي اختاره، إلا إذا كان سبب الرد قد جد بعد الاختيار، وكذلك لا يقبل طلب الرد بعد قفل باب المرافعة.
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 133 explained in plain English
This article gives the parties a right to object to an expert who may not be impartial, which is called "challenging the expert".
Grounds for challenge: An expert may be challenged on the same grounds that permit challenging judges. The article does not list these grounds; it refers to the grounds for challenging judges set out in the Law.
Who decides the request: The court that appointed the expert decides the request to challenge him, and its judgment on it is not subject to objection.
Limits on accepting the request:
- A request for challenge is not accepted from the party who chose the expert, unless the ground for challenge arose after the choice. A person who agreed on an expert while aware of a ground for challenge cannot object to him later on the same ground.
- A request for challenge is not accepted after the close of pleadings.
This provision is related to Article 130, which allows the parties to agree on a particular expert, so a party's choosing the expert limits his right to challenge him. It also corresponds to Article 132, on the right of an expert who is not attached to the court to ask to be relieved, and Article 134, which requires the expert to set a date for starting his work.
Because the court's judgment on a request for challenge is not subject to objection, and because the request is not accepted after pleadings close, timing matters. A person who doubts the impartiality of an expert in his case would do well to consult a lawyer who specializes in litigation and court procedure as soon as possible.
Practical example
In a claim for compensation for damage to a shop in Al Khobar, the shop owner discovered, after the court appointed the expert, that the expert was a partner in an office owned by relatives of the other party. He submitted a request to challenge the expert before pleadings closed. The court that appointed him decides it by an unappealable judgment, and considers whether this ground is one of the grounds that permit challenging judges.
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 133 of the Saudi Law of Sharia Procedure
Can an expert be challenged in a case?
Yes. Experts may be challenged on the grounds that permit challenging judges, and the court that appointed the expert decides the request.
Can I challenge an expert I chose myself?
Your request is accepted only if the ground for the challenge arose after you chose him.
Can the court's judgment on a request to challenge an expert be objected to?
No. The court decides the request to challenge by a judgment that is not subject to objection.
More articles on Evidence Procedures
- Article 23
The article makes Arabic the official language of the courts, requires hearing non-Arabic speakers through an interpreter, and requires an approved translation from a licensed office for foreign-language papers.
اللغة العربية هي اللغة الرسمية للمحاكم؛ وتسمع المحكمة أقوال الخصوم والشهود ونحوهم من غير الناطقين باللغة العربية عن طريق مترجم، وتقدم ترجمة معتمدة من مكتب مرخص
- Article 67
If a defendant refuses to answer, or answers with something unrelated to the claim, the judge repeats the request for a proper answer three times in the same session; if the defendant persists, he treats them as refusing to answer after a warning.
إذا امتنع المدعى عليه عن الجواب كليًّا، أو أجاب بجواب غير ملاق للدعوى؛ كرر عليه القاضي طلب الجواب الصحيح ثلاثًا في الجلسة نفسها، فإذا أصر على ذلك عدّه ناكلًا بع
- Article 74
The presiding judge puts the questions to the parties, witnesses and others; members and parties may ask him to put their questions, and he may delegate this to a member.
رئيس الجلسة هو الذي يتولى توجيه الأسئلة إلى الخصوم والشهود وغيرهم ممن له صلة بالدعوى، ولأعضاء الدائرة المشتركين معه في الجلسة والخصوم أن يطلبوا منه توجيه ما يري
- Article 101
The article requires that facts to be proved during pleadings be related to the case, material to it, and admissible.
يجب أن تكون الوقائع المراد إثباتها أثناء المرافعة متعلقة بالدعوى منتجة فيها جائزًا قبولها.
- Article 102
If a party's evidence is in a place outside the court's jurisdiction, the court must delegate the judge of that place to hear and vet the evidence.
إذا كانت بينة أحد الخصوم في مكان خارج عن نطاق اختصاص المحكمة، فعليها أن تستخلف القاضي الذي يقع ذلك المكان في نطاق اختصاصه لسماع تلك البينة وتعديلها.
- Article 103
The court may withdraw from evidentiary procedures it ordered, provided it states the reasons in the record, and may decline to adopt a procedure's result, provided it states the reasons in its judgment.
للمحكمة أن تعدل عما أمرت به من إجراءات الإثبات، بشرط أن تبين أسباب العدول في الضبط. ويجوز لها كذلك ألا تأخذ بنتيجة الإجراء، بشرط أن تبين أسباب ذلك في حكمها.
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.