The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (known in Arabic as Haia) said that the release of the two Haia members charged with chasing and crashing into two Saudi citizens came upon directives issued by a jurisdictive body pending a final verdict.

Saud and Nasser Al-Qaws died when their car fell off a bridge as they tried to escape the religious police on Saudi National Day.

Muhammad Al-Shouraimi, Haia’s assistant spokesman, denied that their release meant that they had been acquitted of the charges of causing the crash.

A judiciary source at the criminal court said that Khaled Al-Rusais and Murshed Al-Muhaizie, who had been detained along with four of their colleagues, were only released on bail pending a final ruling.

“The case is now in the hands of the administrative court, but the whole case will be referred to the General Court to issue a final ruling once all the hearing sessions are over,” said the source.

The defendants and lawyers on both sides were present last month before the judge at the criminal court in Riyadh.

The judiciary source said at the time that the session was a preliminary one where the judge received the list of charges.

The judge said that he would thoroughly consider the facts and that the official session would be announced at a later date.

The lawyers of the two defendants demanded that the case be transferred to the administrative court, on account of being the official jurisdictive court tasked with looking into cases involving state employees.