Okaz/Saudi Gazette

DAMMAM — The Saudi courts have saved as many as 72 girls from adl (preventing women from getting married) during 2018, according to informed judicial sources.

Sources said the courts concluded the marriage contracts for the girls whose male custodians have obstructed their marriage.

According to them, the general courts in Makkah have considered about 26 adl cases and concluded the marriage contracts for the girls.

The sources said Riyadh had 17 adl cases which were solved when the courts concluded the marriage contracts for the girls.

They said there were seven adl cases in the Eastern Province, six in Asir region, five in Jazan and four in Madinah.

The sources said there were two adl cases each in Qasim, the Northern Borders Province and Baha.

According to them, the latest of the adl cases was in Al-Jouf which was settled when the court documented the girl's marriage.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Justice this year conducted about 611 inspection tours of the lawyers' offices within its efforts to combat money laundering and terror financing.

Informed sources from the ministry said the tours covered 300 offices in Riyadh and 311 outside it.

According to them, the inspection tours covered 65 offices in Makkah, 68 in Jeddah, 41 in Madinah, 42 offices each in Dammam and Al-Khobar, 10 offices in Al-Ahsa, 15 in Qasim, 30 in Abha and Khamis Mushayat and 15 in Jazan.

They said during the coming three months, the inspection tours will cover all the legal offices in the Kingdom and will penalize any office which may be found to be dealing in money laundering and the financing of terrorism.

The ministry warned that any violating office will be referred to its committee concerned with punishing the offices according to the rules and regulations.

The ministry, on the other hand, said it had organized workshops and training sessions for 64 lawyers working in the high-risk offices.

Minister Walid Bin Mohammed Al-Samaani has constituted a permanent team to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism under the chairmanship of the ministry's undersecretary for regulations and international cooperation. The team is made up of 11 members.