JEDDAH – There was a relative drop in the number of criminal cases brought before the Kingdom's courts last year, according to a Ministry of Justice report. Riyadh courts reviewed 976 criminal cases in 2012, which is considered the highest in the Kingdom's cities. Jeddah courts reviewed 673 compared to Makkah courts' 503 cases, the report said. Dammam courts came in fourth with 283 criminal cases followed by Madinah courts' 234 cases. The total number of criminal cases reviewed in 2012 by courts throughout the Kingdom was 2,669, according to the report. On the other hand, there was an increase in the amount of civil suits brought before the Kingdom courts, especially in Riyadh and Jeddah. Riyadh's General Court came on top with a review of more than 26,000 cases. Jeddah reviewed over 15,000 courts while Makkah courts reviewed 9,466 cases. Madinah General Court came fourth with 6,562, followed by Dammam with 5,060 cases. Makkah General Court reviewed 21,472 miscellaneous cases followed closely by Riyadh General Court with 21,399. Jeddah reviewed 13,036 cases, Madinah, 10,908 followed by Dammam, 5,851. The total number of all cases brought before the Kingdom's general courts in Makkah, Madinah, Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam last year was 137,876, as cited by the report. Riyadh's General Court reviewed 48,456 different cases, including criminal and civil, last year followed by Makkah General Court at 31,441, Jeddah at 29,081, Madinah at 17,704 and Dammam at 11,194.
