Sheikh Dr. Walid bin Muhammad Al-Sama'ani, Minister of Justice and Chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council, officially launched commercial courts Sunday, after they had started operating Muharram 1 of this year. Al-Sama'ani revealed that commercial courts had undertaken their jurisdiction through the opening of three commercial courts in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam; specialized commercial chambers within public courts in a number of Saudi cities; and specialized appeals chambers with 173 judges. In his speech at the opening ceremony in Riyadh, the Minister of Justice stressed that the start of work at the courts was a quantum leap and remarkable development in the process of specialized judiciary in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He also stressed that the success of this project and development of the Saudi judiciary wouldn't have been possible without the directions and great support of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and the direct and continuous follow-up of Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense. Al-Sama'ani pointed out that the opening of these specialized courts would positively impact the specialized and evenhanded justice system, whose substance and process were derived from Islamic law and effective regulations; this would uphold people's rights and ensure a sound business environment full of trust and stability. He also indicated that the commercial courts would help enhance the business environment, encourage and motivate investment in the Kingdom, and boost economic development, in line with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030. In addition, they would achieve, regarding institutional excellence of the judiciary, a major shift manifested in the swift determination of commercial disputes and the high quality of the judicial output. The minister of justice also stated that the tripartite working group -- made up of the Supreme Judicial Council, the Ministry of Justice, and the Board of Grievances -- had worked for the past two years to transfer commercial courts from the Board of Grievances to the Ministry of Justice. --More 18:46 LOCAL TIME 15:46 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/1677434
