3,287 husbands forced to pay alimony by Saudi courts

JEDDAH: Saudi courts ordered 3,287 husbands to pay alimony for the cases in which their wives filed law suits against their spouses or ex-spouses demanding support for themselves or their children. If any one violating would be jailed or imposed additional fines.

A circular has been issued by Minister of Justice Waleed Al-Samaani to all courts during the month of Dul Qada,which reads “refraining from paying legal alimony is one form of violence against children”.

The circular also reads that strict leagal action would be taken for the fathers abstaining from paying alimony. The violators will be subject to punishments for mistreating children.

The percentage of alimony cases has been increased during the last year by 56 percent in comparison to the previous year when only 2,105 alimony rulings were issued.

The Ministry of Justice revealed the official statistics which states that Makkah led in the number of rulings related to alimony (1,301) during the year, an increase of about 77 percent from the 735 cases in the previous year.

Riyadh came in second with 884 rulings, up 21.7 percent from 1436, when 726 rulings were issued. The Eastern Province came in third with 452 alimony rulings, an increase of 89.9 percent from 1436 when only 238 rulings were issued.

Deputy Minister of Justice for Executive Affairs Hamad Al-Khodeeri said.” The regulations stipulate that a jail sentence of up to seven years applies to all those who refrain from implementing the final rulings against them, or who are proven to be hiding or smuggling their funds or failing to disclose their funds.”

“The same penalty applies to those who resist implementation through the use of threats either by themselves or through someone else against any employee or individual tasked with ensuring the implementation of a ruling.”

Al-Khodeeri said.”Any illegal act intended to resist or delay implementation of a ruling is punishable by law. This includes lying during court proceedings or providing inaccurate information to the court.”

He added.”Anyone who assists a defendant in any of these acts in an effort to delay, lie about, resist, or abstain from the implementation of a ruling, he said, faces a jail sentence of up to seven years.”