The Saudi Board Of Grievances

The Saudi Board of Grievances (the "Grievance Board"), known in Arabic as Diwan Al Mazalem, was established pursuant to Royal Decree No. M/51, 17 Rajab 1402 [10 May 1982] (the "1982 Decree") as an independent administrative judicial committee responsible directly to the King of Saudi Arabia. From its creation, the Grievances Board was an enormous success, being both professional and efficient. Originally it only had jurisdiction over claims against the Saudi government but over the years it has inherited substantially broader jurisdiction and dealt with most types of commercial disputes.

Reforms

Since 2000, Saudi Arabia has embarked on a legislative reform programme and hence the 1982 Decree was abolished and superseded by Royal Decree No. M/78 dated 19/9/1428 H [1 October 2007] (the "Royal Decree 2007"). Amongst other things, the Royal Decree 2007 restructured the Grievance Board, returning it to its roots as an administrative tribunal, with jurisdiction