Saudis have reiterated calls to increase the number of judges in courts to clear backlog of cases.

These demands come in the wake of a disclosure made by a senior Justice Ministry official on Saturday that there are only nine judges in the Kingdom for every 100,000 people.

However, Majed Al-Adwan, director of King Abdullah Project for the Development of Judicial Facilities, pointed out that the ratio of judges to the population in Saudi Arabia is much higher than in countries like Spain, Egypt and Morocco.

“We appoint about 150 to 200 judges annually, while fewer than 10 judges leave their positions in a year and this cannot be described as dropouts,” Al-Adwan said while emphasizing his organization’s efforts to modernize the Kingdom’s judiciary.

He estimated that the total number of judges under the ministry is estimated at 1,780 and at the Courts of Grievances 520. Judges are also appointed on judicial panels for labor, customs and banking, he added.

“The project for the development of judiciary is progressing well,” Al-Adwan said, adding that the project was instrumental in easing procedures for the issuance of powers of attorney and transfer of property ownership.

“The introduction of the electronic system in 160 courts enables people to file cases from their homes,” he pointed out. The project has introduced a new system to follow up on the performance of judges and courts.