Saudi Gazette/Okaz run a piece on the continuing reform of the Saudi legal system. The Saudi Minister of Justice said that hiring more judges isn’t the solution to case backlogs. Instead, he suggests that their be a lower level of administrative consultants empowered to deal with issues before they become court cases. By resolving issues—or throwing them out as frivolous—case loads in the courts could be reduced.

This is, in fact, a rather common practice internationally. All the necessary caveats to prevent abuse, however, have to be implemented. Transparency in their operations is likely the best guarantee that the role of favoritism and wasta play no role.

That is why court cases are delayed
Hazem Al-Muteiri

RIYADH – Hiring more judges will not decrease the number of delayed cases with courts across the Kingdom, said Minister of Justice Muhammad Al-Eisa, Tuesday.

Hiring one judge is as expensive as hiring four consultants who would be able to eradicate the root causes of the case even before it exists, the minister said during the 3rd meeting of the development strategic plan of the Ministry of Justice in Riyadh.

Employment of more judges will not simply solve the problem of delayed cases, he said.

Al-Eisa cited the lack of public legal awareness, absence of court verdicts for legal fees, centrality of legal presentation to law offices, and the rise of false cases as the reasons for more cases sitting on court tables unattended.
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