Saudi Arabia has advanced 24 positions to become 59th in the world in terms of contract enforcement thanks to reforms implemented by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) over the past two years. The enforcing contracts sub-index is part of the World Bank Ease of Doing Business 2019 Report. Among the reforms is the ministry›s publication of commercial rulings, with over 6,260 rulings made available so far on its online portal. A series of recent procedures have also contributed to the swiftness and quality of commercial rulings. This includes implementing regulations of Civil Procedure Law, setting the adjudication date of a commercial case within 20 days from its date of registration, and limiting the number of possible adjournments to only three. A commercial case can now be filed electronically through the ministry›s portal, the ministry pointed out. The data is then verified by the court staff and recorded within a single day and the defendant is notified electronically on his or her Absher-registered mobile number, it added. The ministry has also enabled electronic filing of the first defense briefs, as well as applications for appeal against commercial court rulings. — SG
