Saudi Arabia: Father has son arrested for "disobedience"

JEDDAH – A real estate businessman has been arrested under the orders of the General Commission for Prosecution and Investigation after his father accused him of “disobedience”, or “’Uqouq” in Shariah law, with the case now due to be heard at the Shariah Court in Jeddah.

The dispute reportedly began when the father wished to invest in his son’s successful real estate business and a five-year partnership agreement was signed between the two parties, but after two years the father began demanding large sums of money in profits he believed his investment had earned.

His son, however, provided him with details of the company’s turnover and further offered to let an independent auditor review the accounts, but his father rejected the proposal and said instead that his son should relinquish all his possessions to him.

When he refused, the father went to the police accusing his son of “uqouq”, or “disobedience.”

The police passed the case over to the Commission for Investigation and Prosecution which issued an arrest warrant for the son on the grounds that disobedience is a crime punishable by Shariah law, thereby transferring the issue to the Shariah Court in Jeddah, which is scheduled to hear the case on Saturday.