The Supreme Court has ruled that the government must pay compensation to the victims of mistakes made by the judiciary, including people imprisoned for months after their sentences have ended.

According to judicial sources quoted in the media, the ruling came after the court conducted a study on the issue. “The decision is a response to requests from several people seeking compensation for damage as a result of errors by the judiciary, ultimately leading to an increase in their prison time,” the sources said.

One citizen demanded compensation for spending 17 months behind bars, despite having been sentenced to 11 months. He claimed the extra time was due to a mistake by the judiciary. The error was later corrected by the judge overseeing the case.

According to regulations, any judge or notary who signs a document knowing that it is illegal and would harm a person financially, must be penalized by bearing the cost of these losses.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Justice has announced it is working with the Traffic Department to develop an electronic system that would ease the process of filing complaints and evaluations at the traffic courts. Fahad Barkan, spokesman of the ministry, said traffic courts would be set up in Riyadh, Jeddah, Makkah, Dammam and Madinah, while other areas would have cases heard in general courts.