The Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution has decided to accept lawsuits for bad checks that are filed within six months after the checks are issued, official sources told Okaz/Saudi Gazette. Bad-check lawsuits will be referred to the judiciary if they are filed more than six months after the checks were issued. General courts will look into cases when the amount exceeds SR20,000 and district courts will deal with smaller amounts, according to sources. In a related matter, the Finance Circuit at the BIP issued a decision calling for three citizens accused of issuing bad checks to be taken into custody. Sources said that on Saturday, the Prosecutor General would refer the cases to the minister of commerce to look into the public right. Sources noted that freezing the decision depends on the citizens covering their bad checks or the plaintiffs dropping their cases. One of the accused has provided funds to cover a bad check for SR35,000 and the other two asked to be given three hours to pay the amounts, according to sources. The BIP has also received enquiries on old bad-check cases that are pending at the Ministry of Commerce. In some cases, verdicts have been issued but they were not implemented. Sources told Okaz/Saudi Gazette that there are 17 such cases at the Ministry of Commerce and complainants have requested that the CIP investigate them. The same sources ruled out the acceptance of old cases that have been decided on by the Committee for Deciding on Disputes concerning Commercial Papers, which is an affiliate of the Ministry of Commerce. Sources said such cases would come under the commercial courts when they are formed, sources said. Sources at the Ministry of Commerce have warned all companies and establishments that sell appliances on installment against accepting checks as a credit instrument or guarantee for the value of the sold items. Those actions change the function of checks from being a tool necessitating fulfillment and payment to being a guarantee paper, sources added. Ministry officials warned citizens and expatriates not to write checks when they have an insufficient balance and not to write deferred checks. The Ministry of Commerce said it would implement the rule for Article 118 of the Commercial Papers Regulation on companies and establishments that demand deferred checks and implement the rule of Article 121 to prosecute them.
