RIYADH: A committee comprising members of the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution and the ministries of Justice, Interior, and Foreign Affairs has been formed to deal with criminal cases involving expatriates.
Government sources said there will be a separation in public rights in murder cases that involve expats without waiting for the victim’s family to drop charges from abroad, while criminals will be deported after completing their sentences.
Plaintiffs will have the right to establish their case against the perpetrator in the country they wish, in order to reduce the number of foreign prisoners.
The Ministry of Interior will be tasked with confirming that governorates quickly inform public administration for judicial affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the murder of an expat, as well as the nationality, the passport number, the employer, the name of the suspect if known, the party involved in investigating the case, a telephone number, and the address of the family of the victim in their home country, if available.
After informing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the murder of an expat, a memorandum is to be urgently sent directly to the embassy of the victim’s country to inform the family, and to inform them that they have the right to bring the case to court, access to any legal translated and ratified document, and to wait for the trial date. If the family decides not to pursue the case, this is officially documented.
Committee to deal with crimes linked with expats
