WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION  
ORGANISATION MONDIALE DU COMMERCE  
ORGANIZACIÓN MUNDIAL DEL COMERCIO  IP/N/1/SAU/O/3 
14 February 2007 
 (07-0638) 
Council for Trade-Related Aspects 
of Intellectual Property Rights Original:   English/ 
 anglais/  inglés 
 
 
MAIN DEDICATED INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY 
LAWS AND REGULATIONS NOTIFIED UNDER 
ARTICLE 63.2 OF THE AGREEMENT 
 
SAUDI ARABIA 
  The present document reproduces the text
1 of the Procedural Rules before the Board of 
Grievances - Council of Ministers Resolution No. 190,  which Saudi Arabia has notified in addition to 
its earlier notification of laws and regulations under Article 63.2 of the Agreement (see document 
IP/N/1/SAU/1). 
 
 Conseil des aspects des droits de propriété 
intellectuelle qui touchent au commerce  
  
PRINCIPALES LOIS ET RÉGLEMENTATIONS CONSACRÉES À LA 
PROPRIÉTÉ INTELLECTUELLE NOTIFIÉES AU TITRE 
DE L'ARTICLE 63:2 DE L'ACCORD 
 
ARABIE SAOUDITE 
  Le présent document contient le texte
1 du Règlement intérieur du Comité d'examen des 
réclamations - Résolution n° 190 du Conseil des minist res, notifié par l'Arabie saoudite en sus de la 
notification antérieure de ses lois et réglementations  au titre de l'article 63:2 de l'Accord (voir le 
document IP/N/1/SAU/1).  
 
Consejo de los Aspectos de los Derechos de Propiedad 
Intelectual relacionados con el Comercio  
 
 
PRINCIPALES LEYES Y REGLAMENTOS DEDICADOS A LA PROPIEDAD 
INTELECTUAL NOTIFICADOS EN VIRTUD DEL PÁRRAFO 2 
DEL ARTÍCULO 63 DEL ACUERDO 
 
ARABIA SAUDITA 
 
 En el presente documento se reproduce el texto1 de las Normas de Procedimiento ante la Junta 
de Reclamaciones - Resolución Nº 190 del Consejo de Ministros, que Arabia Saudita ha notificado 
como complemento de su anterior notificación de leyes y reglamentos en virtud del párrafo 2 del 
artículo 63 del Acuerdo (véase el documento IP/N/1/SAU/1). 
                                                      
1 In English only./En anglais seulement./En inglés solamente. IP/N/1/SAU/O/3 
Page 2  
 
   
 
 
 
PROCEDURAL RULES BEFORE  
THE BOARD OF GRIEV ANCES 
 
Council of Ministers Resolution No. 190 
Dated 16 /11/1409H 
  IP/N/1/SAU/O/3 
 Page 3 
 
 
  Section One 
Administrative Cases 
 
Article (1) 
 An administrative case shall be filed by the pl aintiff with the President of the Board of 
Grievances or his designee. It shall contain particul ars about the plaintiff, defendant, subject-matter of 
the case, and the date of filing the claim against the administrative body if such a claim is of the type 
that must be demanded before filing the case, in accordance with Article Two of these Rules, and the 
outcome of the claim; or the date of filing the grievance against the decision contested if it is of the type against which a grievance must be filed with the administration body prior to filing a case, in accordance with Article Three of these Rules, as we ll as the outcome thereof. The President of the 
Board shall refer the case to the co mpetent circuit within whose juri sdiction the head office of the 
defendant is located, or to the competent circuit w ithin whose jurisdiction the branch of the defendant 
is located, if the plaintiff so requests, and the case is related to such branch.  
 The competent circuit may seek the assistance  of a specialist to prepare the case under its 
supervision.  
Article (2) 
 
 The following shall be observed in relation to  cases stipulated in paragraph (a) of Article 
Eight of the Law of the Board of Grievances, prior to filing those cases with the Board:  
        1. Filing a claim against the competent administrative body within five years from the date on 
which the claimed right arose, unless it was precluded because of a legitimate excuse proved to the competent circuit. The administrative body must decide such claims within ninety days 
from the date of filing. As for rights arising befo re the effectiveness of these Rules, the period 
specified for claiming them shall commence on the date of the effectiveness hereof. 
         2. If the decision of the administrative body  was to reject the claim with in the period specified in 
the previous paragraph, or if such period lapses without deciding upon the claim, the claim shall not be filed with the Board except after filing a grievance with the General Board of 
Civil Service within sixty days from the date of notice of the decision of rejection of the claim 
or from the lapse of the period specified in th e previous paragraph without deciding thereon. 
The decision of rejection of the claim by the administrative body shall state the reasons for 
the rejection. The General Board of Civil Servi ce shall decide on the grievance within sixty 
days from the date of its filing. 
         3. If the decision of the General Board of Civil Service was to reject the grievance, or the period 
specified in the previous paragraph lapses wit hout deciding on the grievance, the case may be 
filed with the Board of Grievances within ninety days from the date of the notice of rejection, IP/N/1/SAU/O/3 
Page 4  
 
  upon the lapse of the sixty days stipulated without deciding on the grievance, or within the 
remaining period of the five years provided fo r in the first paragraph of this Article, 
whichever is longer. The decision made by the General Board of Civil Service rejecting the 
grievance shall state the reasons therefor.  
        4. If the decision of the General Board of  Civil Service affirms the ri ght of the plaintiff to his 
claims, and the administrative body fails to ex ecute it within thirty days from the date of 
notification thereof, the case may be filed with  the Board of Grievances within sixty days 
subsequent to such period, or within the remain ing period of the five years stipulated in the 
first paragraph of this Ar ticle, whichever is longer. 
 
Article (3)  Unless otherwise specifically stipulated, the case provided for in paragraph (b) of Article Eight of the Law of the Board of Grievances shall onl y be filed with the Board after filing a grievance 
with the competent administrative body within si xty days from the date of knowledge thereof. 
Knowledge shall be established by notifying the par ties concerned or by publication in the Official 
Gazette if such notification is not possible. With r espect to decisions made before the effectiveness of 
these Rules, the specified period for filing a grie vance shall begin from the date of effectiveness 
thereof.  The administrative body shall decide on the gr ievance within ninety days from the date of 
filing it. If the decision was to reject such a grieva nce, the reasons for rejection shall be stated. The 
lapse of ninety days following the date of filing of such a grievance without a decision shall be 
considered as though a decision has been  made to reject such a grievance. 
 If not related to the civil service affairs, the case shall be filed with the Board within sixty 
days from the date of knowledge of the rejection decision, or upon the lapse of the ninety days 
stipulated without a decision thereon. 
 However, if the case is related to civil servi ce affairs then before filing a grievance with the 
Board, it shall be filed with the General Board of Civil Service within sixty days from the date of 
knowledge of the decision to reject the grievance or upon the lapse of the period of ninety days 
specified for the administrative body without deciding thereon. 
 The General Board of Civil Service sh all decide on the grievance within  
sixty days from the date of filing thereof.  If the General Board of Civil Service issues a deci sion to reject the grievance, or if the period 
specified for it lapses without a decision thereon, the case may be filed with the Board of Grievances 
within ninety days from the date of knowledge of th e rejection decision or after the lapse of the sixty  IP/N/1/SAU/O/3 
 Page 5 
 
 
  days stipulated without a decision on the grievanc e. The decision of the General Board of Civil 
Service rejecting the grievance shall state the reasons for the rejection. 
 If the decision of the General Board of Civil Se rvice is in favor of the complainant and the 
administrative body fails to execute it within thirty days from the date of notice thereof, the case may 
be filed with the Board of Grievances within  the sixty days subsequent to this period. 
 Article (4) 
 Unless otherwise specifically stipulated, the cases specified in paragraphs (c and d) of Article 
Eight of the Law of the Board of Grievances shall no t be heard after the lapse of five years from the 
date on which the claimed right arose, unless it was precluded because of a legitimate excuse proved 
to the competent circuit. With resp ect to the rights that arose before the effectiveness of these Rules, 
the period specified for hearing the cases shall start from the date of effectiveness of these Rules. 
 
Article (5) 
 Upon receiving the case, the head of the circuit shall set a date for hearing it and notify the 
parties concerned as well as the Ministry of Fi nance and National Economy and the General Audit 
Board. The period between the notification and the da te of the hearing session shall not be less than 
thirty days. He shall also notify the General Board of  Civil Service if the case is related to the civil 
service affairs referred to in Articles Two and Three of these Rules. 
 During this period, the Ministry of Finan ce and National Economy, the General Audit Board 
and the General Board of Civil Service, as the case may be, shall send their views to the Board of 
Grievances or request participation in the proceedi ngs. In this case, coordination shall be made with 
the government body that is a party to the case.  
Article (6) 
 Cases for enforcement of foreign judgments sh all be filed in accordance with the procedures 
for filing administrative cases stipulat ed in Article One of these Rules. 
 The competent circuit shall render its judgm ent after completion of the case documents and 
hearing the statements of both parties to the disput e, or their representatives, either by dismissing the 
case or enforcing the foreign judgment on the basis of reciprocity, provided that it is not inconsistent 
with the provisions of Shari’ah. The party in who se favor the judgment is rendered shall be given an 
execution copy of the judgment, affixed to it the following caption: “All competent government 
bodies and agencies are required to enforce this judgmen t by all applicable lawful means even if this 
leads to use of coercive force by the police.” 
 IP/N/1/SAU/O/3 
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  Article (7) 
 Filing a case shall not entail suspending the enforcement of the contested decision. The 
competent circuit, however, may give an order to cease the enforcement of the decision or otherwise 
make an urgent order for a preventive or provisiona l measure whenever necessary within twenty four 
hours of submission of an urgent application or its referral thereto, if the circuit anticipates 
unavoidable consequences, until it renders a final judgment on the case.  
 
Section Two 
Penal and Disciplinary Cases 
 
Article (8) 
 Penal and disciplinary cases, including the request for describing a crime as impinging on integrity and honesty as referred to in Article 30/16 /C of the Implementing Regulations of the Civil 
Service Law, shall be filed by the Control and I nvestigation Bureau with the Board of Grievances 
pursuant to an indictment containing the names of the accused, their descriptions, places of their 
residence, the charges against them and the places where they were committed, the prosecution 
evidence, and the legal provisions requested to be applied to them; and the entire case file shall be 
attached therewith..   
Article (9) 
 The President of the Board or his designee sha ll refer the case to the competent circuit. Upon 
receiving the case, the circuit head shall set a date for hearing it and notify the Control and 
Investigation Bureau accordingly. The accused shall also be notified and provided with a copy of the 
indictment. The period between such notification and the date of the hearing shall not be less than 
thirty days.  
 
Article (10) 
 A person preventively detained or a person banned from travel by reason of a case pending 
before one of the Board circuits, may file a grieva nce with the President of the Board or his designee 
against his detention or travel ban decision.  The President of the Board, or his designee, shall refer such a grievance to the competent 
circuit, which shall decide on the grievance prom ptly, within a period not exceeding seven days. If 
that is not possible, the circuit shall issue a decision,  prior to the expiry of such period, to set another 
period, stating the reasons therefor.   IP/N/1/SAU/O/3 
 Page 7 
 
 
   The grievance shall be decided upon after hearing both parties to the dispute. The discharge 
or permission to travel shall be made whether or not against a surety. The complainant may not renew 
his grievance before the expiry of sixty days follow ing the date of dismissing the previous grievance, 
unless justified by new facts or documents.  
Article (11) 
 The President of the Board or his designee sh all notify the bodies concerned of the decisions 
of discharge and removal of the travel ban agains t the accused for enforcement of such decisions, 
unless there is another reason for detention or ban.  
Article (12) 
 The cases stipulated in paragraph (f) of Article Eight of the Law of the Board of Grievances 
shall terminate with the death of the accused.  The termination of the case, however, shall not preclude confiscation or recovery of the 
property illegally acquired by the accused. It shall ne ither preclude the hearing of private right of 
action before competent courts. 
 
Section Three 
Hearing the Case and Judgment 
 
Article (13) 
 Arabic is the official language approved fo r recording the procedures of hearing the case. 
Statements of non-Arabic speakers shall be heard th rough an interpreter. The questions directed to 
him and his answers thereto shall be  recorded in his own language and signed by him. Translation into 
Arabic shall also be recorded and signed by  said person and by the interpreter.   
 Certified Arabic translations of documents a nd official papers written in a foreign language 
shall be submitted.  
Article (14) 
 The case shall be heard and decided by the compet ent circuit, which shall be formed of a head 
and two members. The President of the Board may form subsidiary circuits of a single member to hear minor cases. Such minor cases shall be specified by  a regulation to be issued by the President of 
the Board. 
 IP/N/1/SAU/O/3 
Page 8  
 
  Article (15) 
 Sessions held by the circuit shall not be valid unless attended by all members and in the 
presence of a prosecutor in penal and disciplinar y cases. If the attending members do not constitute a 
quorum, another may be designated to complete it.  The sessions shall be public unless the circuit 
decides to make them closed in observation of mo rals or for maintenance of public order, provided 
that in all cases the delivery of the judgment be in a public session. 
 Article (16) 
 Control and management of the session are the dut y of the circuit head. For this purpose, he 
may take any of the following measures: 
(a) Expel any person from the session for disorderly conduct. If the person does not 
comply with the order and persists, the circuit may immediately sentence him to a 
twenty-four hour imprisonment or impose a fine of two hundred riyals. The circuit 
may cancel such sentence before the end of the session. 
(b) Order the deletion from any document or memorandum presented by the litigants any 
expressions which constitute an insult or a violation of morals or public order. 
(c) Order the writing of a report about each offense or crime that takes place during the 
session as well as about any transgression agains t the circuit, any of its members, the 
public prosecutor or anyone working for the circuit. The report shall be forwarded to 
the competent authority for appropriate di sciplinary action. The circuit head may 
order the arrest of a person who commits such  offenses, if the situation so dictates. 
 
Article (17) 
 Documents and memoranda submitted by one of the parties to a case shall not be relied upon 
without permitting the other party to review them . The accused or his representative may review the 
investigation papers in the presence of the circuit cl erk. He may also make photocopies of the part that 
concerns him, as specified by the circuit head.  
Article (18) 
 Litigants in an administrative case or their representatives shall appear on the date appointed 
therefor. If the plaintiff does not appear without an  excuse acceptable to the circuit, the circuit may 
decide the case as it is, at the request of the defenda nt, or may strike the case. If stricken, the plaintiff 
may request reinstatement of the case, and the circ uit shall set a date for the review and notify the  IP/N/1/SAU/O/3 
 Page 9 
 
 
  defendant thereof. If the plaintiff does not appear without an excuse acceptabl e to the circuit, the 
circuit shall strike the case and shall not rehear it except pursuant to an en banc  decision by members 
of the appeal panel. If the defendant does not appear , the circuit shall postpone the hearing of the case 
to a following session of which the defendant shall be notified. If he fails to appear, the circuit shall 
decide on the case, and the judgment shall be consid ered in all cases as if rendered in the presence of 
the defendant.  
 Article (19) 
 In disciplinary and penal cases, the accused hi mself shall attend the trial sessions and shall 
defend himself in writing or verbally. He may seek the assistance of a lawyer and ask for the 
summoning of witnesses to hear their testimony. If the accused in a disciplinary case does not appear 
after being duly notified, the circuit sh all proceed with the trial procedures.  
 However, if the accused in a penal case is notif ied and does not appear, he shall be summoned 
again to attend another session. If he still fails to a ppear, the circuit may render a default judgment or 
order him summoned to a fixed session. If it is impossible to summon him, the circuit may render a 
default judgment in the case. 
 
Article (20) 
 If the plaintiff or the defendant attends an y session of an administrative case before the 
competent circuit, the trial shall be considered as if in his presence even if he fails to attend the 
subsequent sessions.  As for the disciplinary and penal cases, the judgm ent shall be considered as if in the presence 
of the accused person if he attends one session and presents his defense, even if judgment is 
postponed and he does not attend the sessi on in which the judgment is rendered. 
 Article (21) 
 The circuit clerk shall prepare the minutes of  the session under the supervision of the circuit 
head. The minutes shall include the names of the circuit members who attended the session, time and 
place of the session, the litigants or accused persons  present and their representatives. The minutes 
shall also include the procedures taken during th e session, the testimony of the witnesses, the 
statements of the parties and their claims, in a ddition to a summary of their defenses. The minutes 
shall be signed by the members of the circ uit, its clerk and the parties to the case. 
 IP/N/1/SAU/O/3 
Page 10  
 
  Article (22) 
 The accused person shall appear before the circ uit free of restraints, but suitably guarded. He 
shall not be expelled from the session unless he disturbs the order of the session. The circuit may 
proceed with the trial until it is possible to conduc t it in the presence of the accused, provided that he 
is made aware of the procedures taken in his absen ce. In all events, the accused person shall be the 
last to speak. 
 Article (23) 
 If the circuit, during the proceedings, finds th at it is necessary to inspect or carry out 
complementary investigations, it shall carry it out by  itself or designate one of its members for that 
purpose.  
 The circuit, whether on its own or according to a request by the prosecutor or the accused 
person, may summon any witness to attend the session to  give testimony. The circuit, however, must 
not allow directing questions to the witness that are irrelevant to the subject of the case, or which may 
lead to confusing or intimidating him. 
 Article (24) 
 If the circuit decides to seek expert help, it may designate one or more experts provided that 
its decision shall specifically and fully determine th eir task, a deadline to submit their report, and a 
deadline for the hearing session based on the report. It  may as well seek assistance of the expert for a 
verbal opinion during the session, pr ovided that his opinion is included in the minutes of the session.  
 The President of the Board shall issue the n ecessary provisions regarding the experts' fees. 
 
Article (25) 
 The accused or any interested party may request the recusal of any member of the circuit if 
there is a reason justifying this request. Accordingl y, the trial procedures shall be suspended until a 
decision has been taken. The President of the Board shall decide this request, and his decision shall be 
final.  
 If a member of the circuit feels embarrassment hearing a case, he may submit to the President 
of the Board a recusal request, and the President  of the Board shall make a decision thereon. 
 
Article (26) 
 If the circuit hearing a disciplinary case finds that the incident stated in the indictment 
constitutes a penal crime, it shall refrain from hear ing the trial as a disciplinary case and decide to 
refer the case to the Control and Investiga tion Bureau to take the necessary action.  IP/N/1/SAU/O/3 
 Page 11 
 
 
   
Article (27) 
 The circuit may change the legal description of  the action attributed to the accused, or amend 
the charge by adding the aggravating circumstanc es proven to the circuit through the interrogation or 
the pleading during the session, even if such circ umstances are not stated in the indictment. The 
circuit shall notify the accused of such change and, upon his request, give him sufficient time to 
prepare his defense in light of the new description or change.  
 
Article (28) 
 The circuit shall decide on the facts cited in th e indictment. However, it may, at the request of 
the Control and Investigation Bureau, render a judgmen t on facts not cited in the indictment or against 
newly accused persons if the case file includes such  facts, provided that the accused be given an 
appropriate deadline to prepare his defense. The circ uit may on its own undertake to make a decision 
to refer the case to the Control and Investigation Bureau to investigate the case and take whatever 
actions required by law, as in any other case. 
 If the case is returned to the Boar d, it shall be transferred to a circuit other than that which 
originally handled it. If that circuit did not decide  the original case, and the case is connected in an 
inseparable way with the new case, then the whol e case shall be transferred to the circuit which 
originally handled it. 
 Article (29) 
 If the judgment issued by the Board of Grievances includes an indication that an act has been 
committed constituting a penal or disciplinary offense,  the competent investigation authority shall be 
provided with a copy of that judgment in order to take the necessary action required by law. 
 Article (30) 
 If the circuit is formed of more than one me mber, it shall confidentially deliberate in session. 
Judgments shall be rendered by majo rity vote, and the judgment shall be attributed to the circuit. A 
dissenter shall, in the session minutes, give explana tion for his dissent and the reasons therefor. The 
majority shall also state, in the minutes of th e session, their opinion in r esponse to the dissenter’s 
dissent. The minutes shall be signed by all members of the circuit and its clerk.   
Article (31) 
 Notice of judgment shall include the reas ons on which the judgment was based, grounds 
thereof, the circuit issuing it, date and place of issu ance, the relevant case, whether it is administrative, IP/N/1/SAU/O/3 
Page 12  
 
  penal or disciplinary, names of circuit members w ho heard the pleading, name of the prosecutor and 
his demands, names and capacities of the parties in the case, their domicile, attendance or absence, 
names of their representatives and the demands  or defenses submitted by them as well as the 
evidences proffered by them.  The original copy of the judgment notice shall be signed by the circuit head, the circuit members and its clerk within fifteen days. In case the circuit is formed of only one member, the 
original copy of the judgment notice sha ll be signed by him and the circuit clerk. 
 The original signed copy of the judgment notice shall be deposited in the case file and a copy, affixed with the seal of the circuit and signed by the circuit head and its clerk, shall be given to all 
relevant parties.  The circuit rendering the judgment shall inform  the convict, after providing him with a copy 
of the judgment notice, of his right to appeal the judgment within thirty days from the date of his 
receiving the judgment notice and that if he does not appeal the judgment within such period, the judgment against him shall be final and enforceable.   
Article (32) 
 If the circuit finds in the convict’s conduct, past record, age, personal circumstances, or the 
circumstances under which the crime was committed, or any other reasons that justify staying the 
execution of the judgment, it may state in its judgmen t the stay of the execution of the penalty. Such 
stay shall have no effect on the disciplinary penalties to which the convict is subject. 
 The stay shall be lifted if the convict is convict ed by one of the Board circuits of a corporal 
penalty in another penal case committed within th ree years from the date on which the stayed 
judgment becomes final.  
Article (33) 
 The circuit shall, on its own or at the request of a relevant party, correct any purely material 
mistakes made in its judgment, whether written or computational.  But in case of ambiguity or vagueness in the j udgment, any relevant party may file a request 
with the President of the Board to refer the case to the circuit which made the judgment for an 
explanation.   IP/N/1/SAU/O/3 
 Page 13 
 
 
  Section Four 
Ways of Objection to Judgments 
 
Article (34) 
 Judgments rendered in cases provided for under para graphs (c) and (d) of Article Eight of the 
Law of the Board of Grievances, contrary to what is  requested by the administrative body or not in its 
favor, shall not be final and enforceable until they are appealed.  
 
Article (35) 
 Subject to the provisions of Article Thirty Four of these Rules, judgments rendered by the 
Board with respect to administrative cases shall be fi nal and enforceable after the lapse of the period 
specified for the application for appeal referred to in Article Thirty One of these Rules, unless either 
of the parties to the case, the Ministry of Finan ce and National Economy or the General Audit Board, 
in respect of administrative cases, or the General Bo ard of Civil Service, in respect of cases related to 
the civil service affairs referred to in Articles Two and Three of these Rules, apply for appeal during 
the said period.  
 
Article (36) 
 Acceptance of the application for appeal enta ils that the competent appeal circuit either 
affirms or reverse the judgment. In case of revers al, it may either remand the case to the issuing 
circuit or adjudicate it. If the case is remanded to the circuit which originally handled it, and that 
circuit insists on its judgment, the appeal circuit sh all adjudicate the case if it is not persuaded by the 
arguments of that circuit.   In all instances where the appeal circuit unde rtakes to adjudicate the case, the decision shall 
only be made after hearing the statements of the litigants. 
 The appeal circuit may take whatever it deems appropriate with respect to inspection or seeking the assistance of experts.   In all cases, judgments made by the appeal circuit shall be final.  
 Article (37) 
 In penal and disciplinary cases, the prosecu tor and the convict may appeal the judgment 
within the appeal period specified in Article Thir ty One of these Rules, including the judgment issued 
which describes the crime as impinging on honor or in tegrity as mentioned in Article Eight of these 
Rules. IP/N/1/SAU/O/3 
Page 14  
 
   The application shall include data relevant to  the parties to the case, description of the 
judgment requested for appeal, the date of notifi cation, and the grounds upon which the application 
was based. 
 The President of the Board or his designee sha ll refer the application along with the case file 
to the appeal circuit to adjudicate the case and make a decision thereon. Its judgment shall be final, 
except for judgments to terminate services of employees of grade Fourteen and above, or its 
equivalent, which shall only be final upon ratifica tion by the President of the Council of Ministers. 
 If the application for appeal is filed by the pr osecutor, the appeal circuit may uphold, reverse, 
or amend the judgment. However, if such amendment is not in favor of the accused, the circuit must 
hear his statements before the amendment.  If the application for appeal is filed by th e convict alone, the circuit may only uphold the 
judgment or amend it in his favor. 
 
Article (38) 
 The appeal circuit may remand the case to the circuit that rendered the judgment for 
explanation of any ambiguity or vagueness contained therein. 
 
Article (39) 
 An appeal circuit shall be established, headed  by the President of the Board of Grievances and 
consisting of an adequate number of  members to be appointed by the President of the Board. It shall 
have one or more appeal circuits.  The appeal circuit shall be comprised of three members appointed by the President of the Board who shall appoint one of them as the circuit head. The President of the Board may form the appeal circuit of one member to appeal minor cases  as determined by the President of the Board in 
accordance with Article Fourteen. 
 
Article (40) 
 If the appeal circuit decides on any case under its  consideration to change an independent 
reasoning which it or another circuit had previously reached, or which had been previously affirmed 
by the appeal circuit, it shall forward the matter to the President of the Board who shall refer it to the 
appeal circuit for an en banc  meeting to be headed by the President of the Board, together with three 
of the circuit heads selected by the President of the Board. The joint circuit shall render its decision by 
majority vote of two thirds of the members. 
  IP/N/1/SAU/O/3 
 Page 15 
 
 
  Article (41) 
 The person convicted in absentia may apply to the President of the Board or his designee to 
appeal the judgment rendered against him, within th irty days from the date on which he was notified 
of the judgment.   The President of the Board or his designee shall refer such application to the circuit that had 
rendered the judgment for retrial in the presence of the accused. 
 Article (42) 
 If, after the final disposition of the case, new facts emerge or documents are presented which 
were not known at the time of the trial, and such documents were to acquit the convict, the convict or 
the prosecutor may apply to the President of the Board or his designee to reconsider the final 
judgments. The application shall be submitted within thirty days from the date of knowle dge hereof. It 
shall include the judgment and the grounds for the reconsideration requested. The President of the 
Board or his designee shall refer such application to  the circuit which had rendered the judgment to 
dispose of in the presence of the parties to the case. 
 
Section Five 
General Provisions 
 
Article (43) 
 Notifications specified in these Rules shall be made as follows: 
(a) Notices shall be delivered to the person himsel f wherever he is. Otherwise, they shall be 
delivered to anyone who shares residence with him. 
(b) With respect to commercial companies a nd private establishments, notices shall be 
delivered to one of the general partners, th e chairman of the board of directors, the 
manager, or to anyone acting on their behalf, or to the owner of the private establishment 
or to someone acting on his behalf.  
(c) With respect to foreign companies with a branch office or an agent in the Kingdom, 
notices shall be delivered to the manager of  such branch office or to the agent. 
(d) If delivery of the notices is not  possible in accordance with th e foregoing, they shall be 
delivered to the Umdah  (Chief of the neighborhood). 
(e) If it is not possible to know the place of r esidence of the accused or his address in the 
Kingdom, he shall be notified through publication in the Official Gazette. IP/N/1/SAU/O/3 
Page 16  
 
  (f) With respect to the residents outside the Kingdom, they shall be notified through the 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and it shall be sufficient in this case to receive a reply 
evidencing notification. 
(g) With respect to the State, notices shall be deliv ered to the ministers concerned or to heads 
of government authorities, the directors of pub lic institutions or commissions or to those 
acting on their behalf. 
(h) With respect to military personnel and persons  employed by military bodies, notices shall 
be delivered through the relevant authority. 
(i) With respect to prisoners, notices shall be delivered to the prison warden. 
 
Article (44) 
 The President of the Board shall issue the d ecisions necessary for the implementation of these 
Rules.  
Article (45) 
 These Rules shall apply to cases pending at the time of the implementation of such Rules at 
the stage reached.   
Article (46) 
 Judgments that have not been notified to the parties to a case prior to  enforcement of these 
Rules shall be subject to the provisions concerning the ways of objection to judgments.  
Article (47) 
 These Rules shall be published in  the Official Gazette and shall come into effect after thirty 
days from the date of publication thereof. They sh all supersede the Council of Ministers’ Resolutions 
No. 16 dated 06/01/1382 H, and No. 968 dated 15- 16/09/1392 H, and shall also supersede all 
provisions inconsistent therewith. 
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