Article 21:
If acts are committed which may contravene court order or constitute contempt of court or influence any member of such court or any of the parties or witnesses in connection with a case pending before it, the court shall review these acts and render its judgment in accordance with Shari'ah principles.

Article 143:
Order and control over court hearings are vested with their Chairman, who shall be entitled to remove anyone who disturbs the hearings from the courtroom. If this person fails to abide by the court's order, the court may instantly sentence him to imprisonment for a period not exceeding twenty-four hours, and this decision shall be final. The court may, at any time before the end of the hearing, retract that decision.

Article 144:
The court may try any person who commits an act of assault on that court panel -while in session- or on any of its members or staff and it may issue a sentence against him according to Shari'ah principles, after he has been given the chance to defend himself.

Article 145:
If a crime other than those provided for under Articles 143 and 144 herein is committed during a court hearing, the court may, if it decides not to refer the case to the Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution, render judgment according to Shari'ah principles against the accused, after hearing his statement, except where the case falls within the jurisdiction of another court, in which case it shall be referred to that court.

Article 146:
Crimes committed during a court hearing that are not instantly determined by that court shall be decided in accordance with the general legal principles.

Article 167:
If it is established that a witness has knowingly given false statements, he shall be punished for the crime of perjury.

LAW OF CRIMINAL PROCEDURE

Royal Decree No. (M/39)
28 Rajab 1422 [16 October 2001]
Umm al-Qura No. (3867)
17 Sha’ban 1422 [3 November 2001]

PART ONE
GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1:
Courts shall apply Shari’ah principles, as derived from the Qur’an and Sunnah, the traditions of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, to the cases brought before them. They shall also apply laws promulgated by the State that do not contradict the provisions of the Qur’an and Sunnah and shall comply with the procedures set forth in this Law.
The provisions of this Law shall apply to criminal cases that have not been decided and to proceedings that have not been completed prior to its implementation.

Article 2:
No person shall be arrested, searched, detained, or imprisoned except in cases provided by law. Detention or imprisonment shall be carried out only in places designated for such purposes and for the period prescribed by the competent authority.
An arrested person shall not be subjected to any bodily or moral harm. Similarly, he shall not be subjected to torture or degrading treatment.

Article 3:
No penal punishment shall be imposed on any person except in connection with a forbidden and punishable act, whether under Shari’ah principles or statutory laws, and after the person has been convicted pursuant to a final judgment rendered following a trial conducted in accordance with Shari’ah principles.

Article 4:
Any accused person shall have the right to seek the assistance of a lawyer or representative to defend him during the investigation and trial stages.

Article 5:
If a case is formally filed with a court, the case shall not be transferred to another court until the trial court has rendered a judgment or decided that it has no jurisdiction and transferred the case to the competent authority.

Article 6:
Courts shall try the accused for the offences with which they are charged in accordance with Shari’ah principles and the procedures provided for in this Law. The court may consider facts not raised by the prosecutor if no investigation is necessary.

Article 7:
Trial hearings, including the hearing set for the pronouncement of the sentence, shall be attended by the required number of judges. If the required number is not present, substitute judges shall be assigned to complete the quorum.

Article 8:
Deliberations among members of the court shall be conducted in closed session, and each member shall express their opinion before the decision is rendered.
Decisions shall be rendered either unanimously or by majority vote. A dissenting judge shall declare their dissent and explain the reasons for it. The majority shall explain their opinion in response to the dissent, and both shall be entered into the record.
Participation in the deliberations shall be restricted to judges who attended the proceedings.

Article 176:
The contestation shall be filed with the trial court and must specify the contested evidence and the grounds thereof.

Article 177:
If the trial court has reason to believe that there is a pima facie case of forgery, it shall refer the relevant documents to the competent authority and stay the action until the competent authority has issued a decision on the forgery action, where the judgment on the case in issue is contingent on the contested documents.

Article 178:
If it is decided that there is no forgery, the court shall punish the accuser, if appropriate.

Article 179:
If it is decided that all or part of a formal document has been forged, the court that has passed such decision shall order such document excluded or corrected, as the case may be. A note to that effect shall be entered into the record and the forged document be marked accordingly.