Article 137 of the Saudi Law of Sharia Procedure
المادة 137 من نظام المرافعات الشرعية · الباب التاسع: إجراءات الإثبات
The article allows the court to call the expert to discuss his report, send the report back to him to correct an error or deficiency, or assign that to one or more other experts.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
للمحكمة أن تأمر باستدعاء الخبير في جلسة تحـددها لمناقشة تقريره إن رأت حاجة إلى ذلك، ولها أن تعيد إليه تقريره ليتدارك ما تبين لها من وجوه الخطأ أو النقص في عمله ولها أن تعهد بذلك إلى خبير آخر أو أكثر.
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 137 explained in plain English
This article sets out the powers the court has once the expert's report reaches it, so that it does not base its judgment on a deficient or unclear report.
The court has three powers:
- Calling the expert for discussion: The court may order the expert to be summoned to a session it sets in order to discuss his report, if it sees a need for that.
- Sending the report back to him: It may return the report to the expert so that he corrects any errors or deficiencies in his work that it has identified.
- Assigning the task to someone else: It may assign the correction of the error or deficiency to one or more other experts.
All of these powers are open to the court at its discretion; the text does not require it to use any of them.
The article is linked to Article 136, which requires the expert to deposit his report with the court administration and notify the parties of the deposit, so that after the deposit the parties can review it and make whatever remarks they have. It is also linked to Article 138, which provides that the expert's opinion does not bind the court but the court draws guidance from it.
In practical terms, if a party sees an error or deficiency in the report, this article shows the means the court may resort to in order to address it, and the decision on that rests with the court. A person who wishes to respond to an expert's report may consult a lawyer who specializes in litigation and court procedure.
Practical example
In a claim between the owner of a villa in Jeddah and a maintenance company, the expert submitted a report that did not address one of the defects the owner had mentioned. The court found the report deficient and sent it back to the expert to correct. Instead, it could have called him to discuss it at a session, or assigned the matter to another expert.
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 137 of the Saudi Law of Sharia Procedure
Can the expert be questioned about his report before the court?
The court may order the expert to be summoned to a session it sets to discuss his report, if it sees a need for that.
What does the court do if the expert's report contains an error?
It may send it back to the expert to correct the error or deficiency, or assign that to one or more other experts.
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.