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LONDON, February 8 (Reuters – Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said the government will discuss a series of new draft laws designed to improve the efficiency and integrity of the kingdom’s judicial system, the state-run news agency (SPA) reported on Monday.
The new laws – the Personal Status Act, the Civil Transport Act, the Criminal Code on Discretionary Sanctions and Evidence – are currently being finalized and will then be submitted to the Cabinet and relevant bodies, as well as the Shura Advisory Council. They will finally be approved.
“The new laws represent a new wave of reforms that will … increase the reliability of procedures and oversight mechanisms as cornerstones in realizing the principles of justice and will clarify the limits of accountability,” Prince Mohammed said in the statement.
The prince, known in the West as MbS, has launched a series of social and economic reforms aimed at modernizing the conservative kingdom, which has no codified legal system compatible with Sharia or Islamic law texts.
For decades, the lack of written laws governing specific incidents had resulted in mixed court rulings and lengthy legal battles, hurting many Saudis, especially women.
In Riyadh, for example, international criticism has long endured over the guardianship system, which assigns every woman a male relative – a father, brother, husband or son – whose approval was required for various important decisions in a woman’s life. The law was reformed in August 2019.
“This has been painful for many individuals and families, especially women, and has allowed some to shirk their responsibilities. This will not happen again once these laws are promulgated according to legislative acts and procedures,” MbS said.
The statement gave no details on the reforms proposed in these bills, except that they will be announced successively in 2021.
Reporting by Marwa Rashad; Edited by Paul Simao
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