Article 81 of the Saudi Law of the Judiciary
المادة 81 من نظام القضاء
The article lists the auxiliaries of the judiciary, including clerks, registrars, researchers, process servers, translators, experts and secretaries, and refers the regulation of their work to a regulation issued by the Minister of Justice.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يعد من أعوان القضاء كتاب الضبط، وكتاب السجل، والباحثون، والمحضرون، والمترجمون، والخبراء، وأمناء السر، ونحوهم، وتصدر لائحة بقرار من وزير العدل بعد الاتفاق مع رئيس المجلس الأعلى للقضاء تبين القواعد والإجراءات المنظمة لأعمالهم.
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 81 explained in plain English
This article states who counts as auxiliaries of the judiciary, those who help judges and courts do their work. The article names the following:
- Court clerks.
- Registry clerks.
- Researchers.
- Process servers.
- Translators.
- Experts.
- Secretaries.
The list ends with the phrase "and the like", so the enumeration is not exhaustive, and anyone whose work is similar in nature to these is included among the auxiliaries of the judiciary.
Regulating their work: A regulation is issued by decision of the Minister of Justice, after agreement with the President of the Supreme Judicial Council, setting out the rules and procedures that govern the work of the auxiliaries of the judiciary. The article does not state the content of these rules; it leaves them to the regulation.
Relation to neighboring articles: Article 82 requires, without prejudice to the appointment conditions in the Civil Service Law, that those appointed as auxiliaries of the judiciary and court employees pass an examination whose procedures and conditions are set by decision of the Minister of Justice after agreement with the President of the Supreme Judicial Council. The preceding Article 80 concerns the evidentiary force of documents issued by notaries.
Practical example
A company in Dammam files a case that needs foreign documents translated and a technical opinion on an accounting question. The translator who translates the documents and the expert who gives the technical opinion are both auxiliaries of the judiciary under this article, and their work is governed by a regulation issued by the Minister of Justice after agreement with the President of the Supreme Judicial Council.
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 81 of the Saudi Law of the Judiciary
Who are the auxiliaries of the judiciary in Saudi Arabia?
Article 81 names court clerks, registry clerks, researchers, process servers, translators, experts, secretaries and the like.
Who regulates the work of experts and translators in the courts?
A regulation issued by decision of the Minister of Justice, after agreement with the President of the Supreme Judicial Council, sets out the rules and procedures that govern the work of the auxiliaries of the judiciary.
Is the list of auxiliaries of the judiciary exhaustive?
No. The text adds the phrase "and the like" after the list.
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The article provides that notary offices are established, and their jurisdictions and composition determined, by decision of the Minister of Justice, and that the head of each notary office supervises its notaries.
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مع عدم الإخلال بما نص عليه نظام الخدمة المدنية من شروط التعيين، يشترط فيمن يعين من أعوان القضاء وموظفي المحاكم أن ينجح في امتحان تحدد إجراءاته وشروطه بقرار من و
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تسري على موظفي المحاكم وكتابات العدل ــ فيما لا يتعارض مع أحكام هذا النظام ـ أحكام أنظمة الخدمة المدنية ويعمل موظفو كل محكمة وكتابة عدل تحت رقابة رئيسهم الإداري
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يحل هذا النظام محل نظام القضاء، الصادر بالمرسوم الملكي رقم (م/64) وتاريخ 14 / 7 / 1395 هـ.
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.