Abdullah Al-Othaim made the comment while talking to members of the lawyers committee at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
“During my last meeting with the justice minister I had said jokingly whether we should put a notice ‘court for sale’ because of the acute shortage of judges,” Al-Othaim said.
The Supreme Judiciary Council promoted 130 judges across the Kingdom, resulting in a shortage of staff in 10 courts. Some of the promoted judges have taken charge at the Courts of Appeal.
“We are expecting a lot from the King Abdullah project for the Development of Judiciary, beyond the construction of new court buildings and other facilities,” said the summary court chief.
“The judiciary is the basis of the government and a country’s development is determined considering the progress of its judiciary,” Al-Othaim said, while calling for the appointment of more judges.
He said he expected several developments in the judiciary, including the restructuring of the summary courts, adding that it should be set aside for criminal cases such as murder and robbery. “Similar cases in other courts should be transferred to this court,” he added.
He said cases related to rights should be transferred from summary courts to the general court. “We have made new proposals for the development of the judicial system to higher authorities for approval.”
Al-Othaim also disclosed plans to establish special courts to deal with traffic issues as well as social issues such as marriage and divorce.
