Okaz/ Saudi Gazette JEDDAH: The Kingdom cannot reduce its backlog of court cases by appointing more judges but should instead consider other methods including mediation, reconciliation and judicial arbitration, according to Dr. Muhammad Al-Issa, Minister of Justice. He said Saudi Arabia currently falls in line with other countries with a ratio of 7.6 judges to 100,000 people, so there is no real shortage. “Not using alternatives for settling conflict, or being inefficient in implementing them, will not serve us in the future,” he said. He said the ministry is working with the Supreme Judicial Council on issues facing the judiciary. The minister said the mediation system adopted in Western countries has cut the backlog of cases by as much as 90 percent in some incidents. He said many people would doubt this figure, but the results have been documented. In some Arab countries the same system reduced cases reaching courts by 40 percent, he added. Al-Issa said studies show that appointing more judges will not be able to deal with the ever-increasing number of commercial and civil cases. Implementing alternatives would lighten the burden on courts. Finding a Shariah-approved reconciliation agreement between parties would also ensure quicker processing of cases. He said judicial arbitration is also vital especially in highly urbanized societies. A law in this regard is currently being updated, he added. The minister's view has however been disputed by other sources. __
