JEDDAH: The General Court in Jeddah has announced criteria that need to be met to declare dead anyone reported missing to the Civil Defense in last month’s flash floods in Jeddah.
Court sources, who asked not to be named, said judges would ask for two witnesses who could testify under oath that they saw the person drowning or the person’s body flowing in flood waters.
With regard to the bodies of flood victims in hospital morgues, judges are asking for official papers proving the person died from drowning.
The sources added that no cases relating to victims’ inheritance have so far come to court.
The General Court has also postponed cases of missing persons while it liaises with the Civil Defense and the Makkah governorate on having an accurate count of how many people died.
The sources also said it is the General Court which is authorized to deal with cases in which members of the public have filed for damages against government bodies and the sale of real estate in flood plains.
They added that the Court of Grievances is the body assigned to receive cases filed against government bodies that are accused of failing to rescue victims.
The General Court has so far looked at two cases relating to the floods.
One involved a dispute between a husband and a wife over who should receive compensation money for lost furniture, the second involved a certified check for SR35 million which was damaged in the floods.
In the latter case, the court asked the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency to release the check to the beneficiary after proving it had been damaged.
