RIYADH – The Shoura Council on Monday endorsed an amendment in the practice of law system to include the naming and shaming of violators of the system. Yahya Al-Samaan, assistant president of the Council, said Council members passed an amendment in article 37 of the system that was proposed by the Ministry of Justice, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The proposal was contained in a report, read out by Faleh Al-Sughair, chairman of the Islamic and Judicial Affairs Committee, at the session, chaired by Muhammad Al-Jafri, deputy president of the Council. According to the amended article, any individual who impersonates a lawyer or practices as a lawyer in violation of the regulations of the system or a lawyer who practices the profession after removing his name from the list of registered lawyers shall face penal actions that include maximum jail term of one year, fine of not more than SR30,000 or both, in addition to publicizing the violation in one or more local newspapers or any other media outlets at the personal expense of the violator. This will be after pronouncement of the verdict against him by the concerned judicial authority. Al-Samaan said the Council also discussed the report of the Social, Family and Youth Affairs Committee with regard to the draft law of the rights of the elderly people and their custodianship. The committee urged the Council to approve the law, which has 21 articles. The Council gave the committee more time to carry out studies about the proposals and suggestions made by the members during their deliberations on various provisions of the draft. Meanwhile, the Council held on Tuesday a dialogue with eminent Saudi opinion writers and cultural figures. Al-Samaan chaired the session titled "Partnership between the Shoura Council and cultural figures and opinion writers." The event was organized as part of the Council's media and communications strategy to strengthen interaction with various segments of the society. The members listened to their suggestions and opinions with regard to developing the interaction mechanism of the Council and its members with the citizens so as to enable it to take the best decisions in serving the nation and the people. The members also answered queries from the writers and the cultural figures that focused mainly on the Council's functioning, missions, working mechanism, and the role being played on the domestic and foreign arenas. The guests also witnessed the Council deliberations and visited the Council premises.
