Cabinet approves Arbitration Centre in KSA

According to The Saudi Gazette, on 14 April 2014, The Council of Ministers on Monday approved setting up of a centre to oversee arbitration procedures in business and civil disputes. It also endorsed the formation of a permanent committee at the Ministry of Justice with the main objective of licensing arbitration centres.  In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency after the session, Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Abdulaziz Khoja said the Riyadh-based arbitration centre, called ‘Saudi Centre for Commercial Arbitration’ will be under the Council of Saudi Chambers (CSC). It will oversee the arbitration proceedings in those business and civil disputes in which the parties agree to settle them through arbitration in line with the applicable regulations and the established civil and commercial judicial principles. Disputes concerning administrative and personal status as well as criminal cases wherein reconciliation is not permissible will not come under the centre’s jurisdiction.

Dr. Khoja said the centre will have a board of directors, which will be formed by a decision of CSC in agreement with the Minister of Justice and Minister of Commerce and Industry, and in coordination with the governor of Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) for a period of three years, subject to renewal. Dr. Khoja said the Cabinet approved a system for transferring information of those dealing with private firms electronically to the National Information Centre under the Ministry of Interior (Shomos Security System).