Judicial System

Judicial System in Saudi Arabia
on the day following satisfying the formalities of the appeal,
and the concerned department of the Supreme Administrative
Court must record the appeal and the appellee must be
informed of the appeal statement. (1)
Administrative Appeal Courts:
The Saudi legal system allows litigation on two stages: the
preliminary stage before first instance courts (administrative
courts) and the appeal stage before the administrative appeal
courts.
Appeal is the most important safeguard granted to litigants
enabling the parties to an action to file an appeal against the
ruling made by a first instance court (the preliminary court)
before another court and before judges other than the judges
of the first instance court who are more experienced, thus
making litigation nearer to the spirit of justice sought by the
disputants.
This stage allows the parties to an action another chance
for pleading and defense, and gives the judiciary the chance
to review the ruling subject to appeal to ensure validity of the
procedure and the extent of the appropriateness of application
of the principles of Sharia, the laws or the regulations.
It is noteworthy that administrative appeal courts have
remained for a long time a law court concerned with papers
only and examining rulings without giving the parties the
chance to appear before them.
However, under the new Board of Grievances Law, the
administrative appeal courts have become trial courts, so
(1) Pleading, sections 45, 47 and 48.
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