RIYADH — The Saudi Royal Court on Thursday announced the passing of Dr. Motleb Al-Nafisah, Minister of State and Member of the Council of Ministers, at the age of 88. A seasoned statesman with more than six decades of dedicated public service, Dr. Al-Nafisah played a pivotal role in shaping many of the Kingdom's most important legal and administrative frameworks. The Royal Court described him as one of the Kingdom's most loyal public servants, who served his religion, King, and country with utmost dedication. Funeral prayers will be held after Asr on Friday at King Khalid Mosque in Riyadh. Born in Riyadh al-Khabra in Al-Qassim Province in 1937, Dr. Al-Nafisah earned his law degree from Cairo University in 1962. He later obtained his master's and doctorate in law from Harvard University between 1971 and 1975, becoming one of the Kingdom's most prominent legal minds. His distinguished career began in 1962 as a legal advisor at the Council of Ministers, followed by a post as Deputy Director General at the Institute of Public Administration. Upon returning from the U.S., he was appointed Head of the Expert Division at the Council of Ministers — now known as the Bureau of Experts — a position he held for two decades. In 1995, he was named Minister of State and joined the Council of Ministers. From 1999 to 2015, he served as Secretary-General and a member of the Supreme Council for Petroleum and Minerals. In September 2022, he was reappointed as Minister of State by Royal Order. Dr. Al-Nafisah also held key memberships in several influential national bodies, including the Supreme Economic Council, the Civil and Military Service Councils, and multiple ministerial committees. He was a member of the teams that drafted foundational laws such as the Basic Law of Governance, the Provincial System, and the Shoura Council Law.
