Saudi Gazette MAKKAH — Justice Minister Waleed Bin Muhammad Al-Samaani opened in Riyadh on Sunday a meeting of the judges of the summary courts all over the Kingdom with the aim of re-organizing the courts so as to speed up litigation. Samaani, who is also chairman of the Supreme Judiciary Council (SJC), said it was a decision by the council to rehash the summary circuits to facilitate procedures, cut litigation time and reduce the administrative burden on the judges. "The reorganization of summary courts was also aimed at facilitating litigation in small and easy cases to quickly arrive at justice," he said. The minister said the litigants should not be involved in the long and interminable tracks of big cases and added that the meeting was aimed at building bridges with the judges to assess the difficulties facing them in the filed. He said the courts would be supported with qualified and experienced cadres to help the judges do their job properly. "State-of-the-art technology will be extensively used in these circuits to help the judges take their decisions fairly," he said. "We are all aiming at achieving complete justice in our courts," he added. Samaani praised the current experience in 10 courts in Riyadh where the judicial and administrative works were separated. "Separation of the specialties and responsibilities should be done gradually so as to enhance the vocational work of the judges," he said. Samaani said success would not be achieved without the complete coordination and cooperation among the judges. "We are all partners in the development and success," he said. The meeting started with a power-point presentation on the decision to reshape the summary circuits delivered by Abdul Hadi Bin Ali Al-Khudair, adviser at the minister's office. The presentation covered all the aspects, articles and objectives of the decision. "The summary circuits are directly tied to the needs and rights of all the litigants," he said. The summary court judges also enriched the discussion by revealing their own personal experiences. During the meeting, a debate on the management of the easy cases was held. The speakers tackled all the stages of litigation in the summary circuits until the cases are finally settled either by reconciliation or verdicts. The judges voiced their resentment against numerous postponement of cases and said this would delay justice.
