Abdullah Al-Dani Okaz/Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — President of the Board of Grievances Abdulaziz Al-Nassar said judgments on many cases before the courts were delayed last year due to a shortage of judges. In addition, the increase in the number of cases brought forward has added to the problem. Minister of Justice Mohammad Al-Eisa, on the other hand has repeatedly denied any shortages. He said that the problem lies in the shortage of support staff. This forces upon judges administrative and clerical duties and distracts them from their main responsibilities. The public has complained of long delays before cases are heard, especially in the civil affairs courts. The Ministry of Justice has activated some electronic services in courts that have eased procedures and expedited work in 272 courts in the Kingdom. The ministry's own study three years ago indicated that there was one judge for every 35,000 citizens. In all, 724 judges have reviewed more than 357,000 cases, the majority being cases of divorce, custody and inheritance. Such cases will be referred to specialized courts in the future, according to the new judicial system. Latest ministry statistics show that 1,400 judges had reviewed more than 636,000 cases in 1432AH. In its efforts to improve the judicial system, the ministry is planning two new courts in Riyadh and Jeddah, and a 110 percent increase in the number of judges in Riyadh. A separate implementation court is planned which will deal with 30 percent of cases. The ministry is also planning 30 judicial offices to assist the judges in Riyadh General Court. In addition, 8 similar offices are planned for Jeddah General Court. Saad Al-Wehaibi, a judicial consultant, said there is a 45 percent shortage of judges in the Kingdom. Others believe that some judges are leaving their jobs to teach or joining law firms for better pay. The minister of justice has scoffed at these charges. There were more than 162,000 marriages in 1432AH, of which nearly 19,000 marriage certificates were issued by specialized courts. Saudis accounted for 89 percent of the total marriages and 88.4 percent (30,626) of the total divorce cases. The ministry pointed out that there are 4,615 marriage officials, who are authorized to issue marriage certificates for Saudis only. Non-Saudis are referred to the courts for the marriage certificates. Makkah witnessed the highest number of marriages with 50,007 tying the knot, followed by Riyadh with 35,132. The Northern Border Province had the least, with only 744 unions. Riyadh witnessed the highest divorce cases with 10,460 cases, followed by Makkah with 9,996 cases. The Northern Border had the least number of divorces with 319 cases.
