RIYADH — The Notary Public Office had 49,000 unresolved legal cases out of a total of 130,000 it received during the last fiscal year, according to the Shoura Council. The council's legal and Islamic affairs committee reported there are 1,291 vacant non-judicial positions at the office. A committee member said: “The productivity rate at the Notary Public Office is very low. “There is a lack of judges and employees despite the numerous placement requests sent by the office to the Ministry of Civil Service. “There should be a comprehensive program organized by the Justice Institute at Imam Muhammad Bin Saud University to train and qualify new judges in the field.” He also said the general public is complaining about negligence at the office. “The people find the waiting time between one hearing and another too long and the processing of cases takes too long. They also complained about the lack of specialized judges.” Another member of the committee said in order to address the shortcomings of the office, it must be proactive in seeking young and talented law graduates from Saudi universities and offer bonuses and rewards to judges as an incentive after each case they resolve. He said: “I don't think the lack of productivity is due to the lack of judges. I think the productivity of each judge has declined this year. “The office needs a bigger budget so it can not only enhance the quality of the judges but also the quality of the office itself.” The council decided to give the committee more time to develop their studies and suggestions and the matter will be discussed again in the next Shoura Council meeting.
