JAIL TERMS FOR DEBTORS IN SAUDI ARABIA

Some Shoura members of Saudi Arabia have called for cancelling jail sentences imposed on people who were unable to pay their debts because of financial difficulties. They argued that imprisoning someone because of debt was against Shari’ah law and international charters. However, the Shoura members unanimously agreed on punishing those who delay in paying their debts and stash their money in offshore accounts or indulge in other deceptive practices. They believed that the release of debtors would enable them to work and pay their debts. On the other hand, imprisonment will make them a burden on the state, they added. In this respect, they cited the case of a person who was jailed for not paying SR12,000 and the government had to spend SR500,000 on him. Shoura member Muhammad Al-Edrissi said it was not allowed to imprison a person if he was declared bankrupt by a court as a creditor had the right on the wealth of the debtor not on his person. Hence imprisonment of a person who cannot fulfil his contract terms was not permissible. Al-Edrissi called for establishment of cooperative societies to pay debts of deserving persons, who were not involved in any criminal or fraudulent activities, adding that such insolvent persons deserved payment from Zakah. The Shoura members advocated jail terms of up to seven years for those not implementing a court’s verdict on debts, found to have stashed away money in banks abroad or those who refuse to provide information about their wealth.