The British House of Lords, the highest court, rejected a suit against the Saudi government submitted by Ron Jones, Sandy Mitchell, Les Walker and William Sampson, who were detained in Saudi Arabia. This was disclosed yesterday by the House of Lords. In a statement to SPA, Prince Mohammad bin Nawaf, the ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the UK and Ireland said that the principles are well entrenched in British law and as such the judgment of the House of Lords does not come as a surprise in a country known for its fair legal system and respect for the rule of law. Prince Mohammad added that the decision is in accordance with accepted principles of international law and is consistent with the position taken by the Kingdom since these claims were first made. He went on to thank the legal team that represented the Kingdom in the case. He also said in a statement released by the Saudi embassy yesterday that Jones appealed to the House of Lords against a ruling that had dismissed a suit against the Saudi government. He added that the government of Saudi Arabia appealed to the House of Lords against a ruling by the Court of Appeal on the 28th of October 2004 which had enabled the four complainants to sue Saudi officials. After presenting legal briefs and after listening to all parties, the British House of Lords rejected the ruling that had enabled the four complainants to sue Saudi officials and this comes in accordance with the legal law of immunity of countries that have legitimate sovereignty including the officials who represent these countries. Prince Mohammad considered this an important judgment that serves the interest of the international community and it respects and protects the right of every legitimate sovereign state to govern within its own borders and it does not give the right to any country to interfere in any others' affairs.
