{"id":8636,"date":"2026-10-12T18:29:09","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T15:29:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/public-prosecution-saudi-arabia\/"},"modified":"2026-10-19T02:48:42","modified_gmt":"2026-10-18T23:48:42","slug":"public-prosecution-saudi-arabia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/public-prosecution-saudi-arabia\/","title":{"rendered":"The Public Prosecution in Saudi Arabia: Appointments, Investigation, Closure and Referral"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.usus-tbl{border-collapse:collapse;width:100%;max-width:760px;margin:12px 0 20px;font-size:15px}.usus-tbl th{background:#f4eff9;color:#2A124A;font-weight:700;text-align:right;padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:2px solid #C9A227}.usus-tbl td{padding:9px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid #e5ddec;vertical-align:top}<\/style>\n<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<p>The Public Prosecution is the body that brings and conducts criminal cases before the courts (Article 15 of the Criminal Procedure Law). It investigates, orders detention or release, and decides at the end whether a case goes to court or is closed. Whether you reported a crime, are accused, or have a relative in detention, knowing what happens there saves a great deal of worry and many mistakes.<\/p>\n<h2>Booking an appointment<\/h2>\n<p>Visits to the Public Prosecution are by prior appointment, booked online through its official channels, usually logging in with the National Single Sign-On (Nafath). Have ready the case or report number, the branch handling it, and your capacity: victim, accused, or agent with a valid power of attorney. Service names and steps change, so check the official channel when booking.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"usus-ig usus-ig-8636-1\"><img class=\"wp-image-8821\" src=\"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-8636-1.webp\" width=\"1200\" height=\"856\" alt=\"Public Prosecution e-services \u2014 The Public Prosecution in Saudi Arabia (Usus Law Firm infographic)\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-8636-1.webp 1200w, https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-8636-1-768x548.webp 768w, https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-8636-1-640x457.webp 640w, https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-8636-1-400x285.webp 400w, https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-8636-1-367x262.webp 367w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/figure>\n<h2>What happens at the Public Prosecution<\/h2>\n<table class=\"usus-tbl\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Stage<\/th>\n<th>What happens<\/th>\n<th>Article<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>The case arrives<\/td>\n<td>From the police with the evidence report; the police must inform the Prosecution at once<\/td>\n<td>27<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>First interview<\/td>\n<td>The investigator records the details, states the charge, and has the statement read back before signing<\/td>\n<td>101<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>The lawyer<\/td>\n<td>The accused may have a lawyer attend, may not be separated from him, and the lawyer may file written notes<\/td>\n<td>65, 70<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Detention or release<\/td>\n<td>Detention order of up to 5 days, extendable within limits, or release<\/td>\n<td>113, 114<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Decision<\/td>\n<td>Refer to court with a charge sheet, or close the file<\/td>\n<td>124, 126<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<figure class=\"usus-ig usus-ig-8636-2\"><img class=\"wp-image-8822\" src=\"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-8636-2.webp\" width=\"1080\" height=\"1369\" alt=\"Stages of a case at the Prosecution \u2014 The Public Prosecution in Saudi Arabia (Usus Law Firm infographic)\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-8636-2.webp 1080w, https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-8636-2-768x974.webp 768w, https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-8636-2-640x811.webp 640w, https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-8636-2-400x507.webp 400w, https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-8636-2-367x465.webp 367w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px\" \/><\/figure>\n<h2>Closure or referral<\/h2>\n<p>If the evidence is insufficient, the investigator recommends closing the case and releasing a detained accused. The closure order states its reasons and is notified to the private claimant; in major crimes it needs the Attorney General&#8217;s approval (Article 124). A closed case can be reopened if new evidence appears (Article 125). If the evidence is sufficient, the Prosecution files a charge sheet with the court (Article 126).<\/p>\n<h2>If you are the victim<\/h2>\n<p>In crimes involving a private right, a case is brought only on the victim&#8217;s complaint, unless the Prosecution sees a public interest (Article 17). You may bring your private claim before the competent court (Article 16), and you must be told if the case is closed (Article 64).<\/p>\n<p>Detention periods and detainee rights are explained in <a href=\"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/detention-period-saudi-arabia\/\">detention period in Saudi Arabia<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n<h3>How do I book an appointment with the Public Prosecution?<\/h3>\n<p>Online through its official channels, usually via Nafath, with the case or report number and the branch. Check the official channel, as steps change.<\/p>\n<h3>Can a lawyer attend the investigation?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes. The accused may have a lawyer attend (Article 65) and may not be separated from him (Article 70).<\/p>\n<h3>Can a closed case be reopened?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes, if new evidence strengthens the accusation (Article 125).<\/p>\n<h3>What is the difference between the police and the Prosecution?<\/h3>\n<p>The police gather evidence and inform the Prosecution at once (Article 27). The Prosecution investigates, refers or closes the case, and conducts it in court (Article 15).<\/p>\n<h2>A case at the Public Prosecution?<\/h2>\n<p>Usus Law Firm attends investigations with clients and follows detention, release, closure and referral, in Riyadh and Tabuk, in English and Arabic. See <a href=\"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/criminal-lawyer-riyadh\/\">criminal lawyer in Riyadh<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><em>Articles cited are from the Law of Criminal Procedure (Royal Decree M\/2 of 22\/1\/1435H). Always check the current official text.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size:12.5px;color:#6a6178;border-top:1px solid #e6ddd0;padding-top:10px;margin-top:16px\"><em>This article is general legal information and is not a substitute for advice on your specific case. Court proceedings in Saudi Arabia are in Arabic; the official Arabic text of each law prevails.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"usus-qbox\">\n<h2>Request a quick consultation<\/h2>\n<p>Leave your name and mobile number, and a lawyer from our Riyadh or Tabuk office will call you during working hours. We advise in English.<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wpcf7 no-js\" id=\"wpcf7-f6963-o1\" lang=\"en-US\" dir=\"ltr\" data-wpcf7-id=\"6963\">\n<div class=\"screen-reader-response\"><p role=\"status\" aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\"><\/p> <ul><\/ul><\/div>\n<form action=\"\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8636#wpcf7-f6963-o1\" method=\"post\" class=\"wpcf7-form init\" aria-label=\"Contact form\" novalidate=\"novalidate\" data-status=\"init\">\n<fieldset class=\"hidden-fields-container\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7\" value=\"6963\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7_version\" value=\"6.2.2\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7_locale\" value=\"en_US\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7_unit_tag\" value=\"wpcf7-f6963-o1\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7_container_post\" value=\"0\" \/><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"_wpcf7_posted_data_hash\" value=\"\" \/>\n<\/fieldset>\n<span id=\"wpcf7-6ae0e9823f842-wrapper\" class=\"wpcf7-form-control-wrap cf7apps-honeypot-wrap honeypot-qf-wrap\" style=\"position:absolute;width:1px;height:1px;padding:0;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);white-space:nowrap;border:0;\"><label for=\"wpcf7-6ae0e9823f842-field\" class=\"hp-message\">Please leave this field empty.<\/label><input id=\"wpcf7-6ae0e9823f842-field\"  class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-text\" type=\"text\" name=\"honeypot-qf\" value=\"\" autocomplete=\"new-password\" tabindex=\"1000\" data-cf7apps-tabindex=\"1000\" \/><\/span>\n<div class=\"usus-qf\">\n<div class=\"f\"><label for=\"q-name\">Name<\/label><span class=\"wpcf7-form-control-wrap\" data-name=\"q-name\"><input size=\"40\" maxlength=\"400\" class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-text wpcf7-validates-as-required\" id=\"q-name\" autocomplete=\"name\" aria-required=\"true\" aria-invalid=\"false\" placeholder=\"Your name\" value=\"\" type=\"text\" name=\"q-name\" \/><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"f\"><label for=\"q-phone\">Mobile<\/label><span class=\"wpcf7-form-control-wrap\" data-name=\"q-phone\"><input size=\"40\" maxlength=\"400\" class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-tel wpcf7-validates-as-required wpcf7-text wpcf7-validates-as-tel\" id=\"q-phone\" autocomplete=\"tel\" aria-required=\"true\" aria-invalid=\"false\" placeholder=\"05xxxxxxxx\" value=\"\" type=\"tel\" name=\"q-phone\" \/><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"f\"><label for=\"q-city\">City<\/label><span class=\"wpcf7-form-control-wrap\" data-name=\"q-city\"><select class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-select wpcf7-validates-as-required\" id=\"q-city\" aria-required=\"true\" aria-invalid=\"false\" name=\"q-city\"><option value=\"Riyadh\">Riyadh<\/option><option value=\"Tabuk\">Tabuk<\/option><option value=\"Other city\">Other city<\/option><\/select><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"f w\"><label for=\"q-msg\">Your case in brief (optional)<\/label><span class=\"wpcf7-form-control-wrap\" data-name=\"q-msg\"><textarea cols=\"40\" rows=\"2\" maxlength=\"600\" class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-textarea\" id=\"q-msg\" aria-invalid=\"false\" placeholder=\"One or two lines are enough\" name=\"q-msg\"><\/textarea><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"s\"><input class=\"wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-submit has-spinner\" type=\"submit\" value=\"Request a call from a lawyer\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div><div class=\"wpcf7-response-output\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n<\/form>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Public Prosecution is the body that brings and conducts criminal cases before the courts (Article 15 of the Criminal Procedure Law). It investigates, orders detention or release, and decides at the end whether a case goes to court or is closed. Whether you reported a crime, are accused, or have a relative in detention, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8682,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[84],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8636","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-criminal-law"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":{"landsacpe":["https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-cover-8636-1140x445.jpg?wsr",1140,445,true],"list":["https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-cover-8636-463x348.jpg?wsr",463,348,true],"medium":["https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-cover-8636-300x169.jpg?wsr",300,169,true],"full":["https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/usus-cover-8636.jpg?wsr",1200,675,false]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8636","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8636"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8636\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9077,"href":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8636\/revisions\/9077"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8682"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8636"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8636"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ususlawfirm.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8636"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}