Article 27 of the Saudi Law of the Judiciary

This article addresses a practical problem a litigant may face: two judicial bodies in conflict over his case. For this purpose it creates the Committee for Deciding Conflicts of Jurisdiction in the Supreme Judicial Council.

When is a request submitted to the Committee? If a claim is filed over one subject before one of the courts subject to this Law and before one of the courts of the Board of Grievances or any other body with jurisdiction to decide some disputes, and one of two things happens:

• Neither of them has declined to hear it (a positive conflict).
• Both have declined to hear it (a negative conflict).

In these two cases a request to designate the competent body is submitted to the Committee.

Composition of the Committee: three members:

• A member of the Supreme Court chosen by its president.
• A member of the Board of Grievances or the other body, chosen by the president of the Board or the head of the body, as the case may be.
• A member from among the full-time judges who are members of the Supreme Judicial Council, chosen by the president of the Council, who is the Committee's chair.

Additional jurisdiction: the Committee also decides disputes arising over enforcing two contradictory final judgments, one from the courts under this Law and the other from the courts of the Board of Grievances or the other body.

Article 28 sets out how the request is filed: it is submitted by a statement of claim to the General Secretariat of the Supreme Judicial Council, containing the parties' details, the subject of the request and a sufficient description of the case. As these are precise procedural matters, it is advisable to consult a lawyer specialized in litigation and court procedure.