SAUDI ARABIA

Special sections sought to probe cyber crimes

August 02, 2017

Adnan Al Shabrawi

Okaz/Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH – Lawyers and legal experts have called upon the Public Prosecution to open special sections to deal with the growing number of information and cyber crimes.

“It’s high time for specialized sections to look into information crimes, considering the wide use of information technology and new social media applications,” said lawyer Saleh Al-Ghamdi.

He said the proposed sections would contribute to speedy justice. The new sections should interact with the Commission for Information Technology and Communication to complete investigation quickly.

The demand for such sections are important in light of increasing number of crimes involving social media outlets as people often misuse the electronic media to abuse others and spread lies.

The new sections should be provided with the required number of investigators, Al-Ghamdi said. At present the Public Prosecution has 11 sections to investigate various crimes.

There is a section to investigate crimes such as murder, shooting, stabbing and beating. Another one deals with crimes against religious faiths and morality. A special section has been created to look into crimes involving drug smuggling and trafficking. There is another section to take up crimes such as thefts and swindling. Another section looks into crimes such as taking bribes and doing forgery. “There are as many as 42 economic crimes such as money laundering and tasattur (cover up) business,” the lawyer said.

The international cooperation section tries to bring wanted criminals from foreign countries with the support of Interpol.

The Public Prosecution Department in Jeddah is planning to open a second office in south Jeddah to reduce congestion in the present office in the northern part of the city and to improve services.

Public Prosecution staff members are busy changing boards at its offices across the Kingdom on the directives of the general prosecutor Saud Al-Muejib. Previously the department was named Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution.

Special committees have been set up to suggest new job titles, salary scales for different positions and enhance its organizational structure within 90 days after the decree to change the name.

Okaz/Saudi Gazette visited the headquarters of Public Prosecution in Jeddah and toured its various departments including the section for women.

It has a special section to receive lawyers and answer their queries. There is another office to receive suspects and prisoners undergoing investigation. Advanced facilities have been provided to record statements of suspects and witnesses and take photos of documents. “Nobody is allowed to interfere in the department’s affairs to ensure its independence. The department directly reports to the King to prevent interference,” an informed source said.


August 02, 2017
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