RIYADH — Several international technology experts hailed the Saudi e-litigation initiative as one of the pioneering initiatives that shifted the experience of judicial services, the Ministry of Justice has said.

The litigation process in Saudi Arabia is now 100% digital, the ministry added.

“As we were working around the world during the Covid pandemic, the Saudi MoJ team really dug in and they wanted to find a solution right away,” said Michael Dunn, senior director of Business Programs Digital Justice Worldwide at Microsoft.

“Saudi vision provided profound learning for Microsoft and Tech Unicorn, which they immediately began sharing with the ministries of justice in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Belgium,” he added, highlighting “the major impact of Saudi Arabia’s innovation on the rest of the world.”

Ani Dave, the Group Chief Executive Officer at Tech Unicorn, also defined the Saudi e-Litigation as a pioneering experiment and an advanced model that can be utilized by US courts. She found it “highly professional and smart”.

The e-Litigation service covers all judicial procedures that can legally be implemented electronically, including exchange of memoranda, filing documents, digital and virtual hearings, and the rendering and appeal of judgments.

The MoJ statistics show that the initiative has shortened litigation time by 79%, enhanced efficiency by 43%, and improved the quality of judgments by 38%. It has also raised client satisfaction by 77% and saved an average of 12 in-person visits, while ensuring all safeguards including the right to confrontation, the right to have legal representation, and openness of hearings. — SG