Judge in Controversial Divorce Case ‘Absent for Nearly a Month’
Ebtihal Mubarak, Arab News

JEDDAH, 23 November 2006 — The judge in a controversial in-absentia ruling that divorced a woman from her husband at the request of her half brothers has not appeared on his bench for nearly a month, according to an anonymous source at the judge’s office.

“I don’t know the details for certain, but he may have resigned or moved to another court,” an employee of the judge’s office in Jouf where the judge worked told Arab News yesterday.

Judge Ibrahim Al-Farrj was thrust into the national spotlight following his July 20, 2005 ruling that divorced Fatima from her husband Mansour Al-Timani against the will of the couple. Fatima’s half-brothers filed the divorce papers on the basis that Mansour concealed his tribal affiliation when asking for Fatima’s hand in marriage.

Arab News attempted to get details of the judge’s continuing absence from his bench by calling the interim president of Al-Jouf General Courthouse, Judge Mohammad Al-Aabed, but he refused to comment.

According to Arab News contacts who do not want to be identified, Al-Farrj was questioned last month by a committee from the Ministry of Justice in Riyadh. Arab News contacted the ministry in an attempt to discover why Al-Farrj was questioned and if it had anything to do with his decision to divorce the couple against their will, but the committee secretary (who didn’t want to be named, either) said he couldn’t recall details of the inquest due to the volume of files he deals with.

The secretary said that the process of discharging judges for insubordination or bad rulings is up to the ministry’s Higher Judicial Council. Nobody at the ministry would confirm whether the judge was being investigated for his ruling, or if he resigned or was discharged.

The department in charge did not return phone calls inquiring about the case.

The case of the couple forceably divorced because of ‘tribal incompatibilities’ is taking another curious turn as the judge who made the ruling disappears.

At this point—at least in so far as Arab News can determine—no one knows just what’s going on. Did the judge suddenly retire? Was he transferred? Was he disciplined? Is he even alive?

Clearly, the Saudi judicial system needs some serious work….