27 March 2017
By SHARIF M. TAHA

RIYADH: The Ministry of Justice has announced initiatives to support the National Transformation Program 2020 to shorten litigation procedures, reduce flow of cases to the courts and boost the national economy.

The initiatives also include achieving institutional excellence, according to the ministry.

The first initiative focuses on mobile notaries, which are destined for people with special needs, included senior citizens and detainees in observation centers. Over 500,000 people are expected to benefit from service by 2020 through 200 mobile notaries in many parts of the Kingdom.

One initiative involves electronic payments to speed up the payment from a defendant’s account through the “sadad” system in the operating banking channels without need to issue checks or deal with cash. The step will raise the Kingdom’s rating in the contract enforcement index globally.

Another aspect of the program allows justice service centers to provide documentary, informative and procedural services for beneficiaries outside the courts, as well as people with special needs.

The program also involves the privatization of some of the ministry’s services, such as issuance or cancelation of powers of authority, and documentation of company contracts through hundreds of licensed offices in all parts of the Kingdom. Nearly 3 million people are expected to benefit from the service by 2020.

Justice Minister Walid Al-Samaani said the ministry’s visions are focusing on the provision of leading judicial services at high efficiency and with the least efforts and costs, depending on qualified national personnel through high-tech procedures and the best international practices.

© Arab News 2017