RIYADH — Saudi Arabia's Minister of Justice and Chairman of the Supreme Judiciary Council Dr. Walid Al-Samaani urged judges to be objective in their opinions and not to be influenced by personal views while issuing verdicts. He also underlined the need to have a thorough exertion of mental faculty in finding solutions to legal questions and that is strictly in line with the Islamic Shariah regulations. Al-Samaani made the remarks during his visit to various courts in the Jeddah governorate, and these included the court of appeals, labor court, criminal court, commercial court, general court, civil status court and execution court. The minister affirmed that judges must enforce the text of the laws strictly, saying that this represents the correct legitimate application of the regulations. Al-Samaani stressed the need to pay attention to the quality of judgments. "The competence and specialization of the judge and the jurisdiction of the appeals judges were given in accordance with the laws, and all these matters together develop the judiciary's consideration, so that a steady judiciary becomes consistent with principles and it has the characteristic of continuity and stability," he said. In a video clip posted on the ministry's Twitter account, Al-Samaani said that the judicial system has adopted the institutional approach that begins from the judicial circuit, then in the general court, appeals court and then finally at the Supreme Court. "The judge's opinion within these institutions must be an objective one, consistent with the basic judicial principles and apply the regulations in the first place, even if they contradict with their personal opinion," he said. In a message to judges, the minister added that they are not required to present their personal opinion, but instead they must endeavor in the light of the existing judicial regulations.
