More cases resolved than filed last year

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

More lawsuits were settled in Bahrain last year than were filed, according to Justice Minister, His Excellency Nawaf Al Maawda, with over 59,000 cases brought to a close in 2024 as the courts pressed on with their caseload.

The figures came in response to a written question from MP Jalal Kadhem, who sought a breakdown of court activity since the beginning of the current legislative term.

He asked for separate counts of civil, criminal and Sharia cases involving Bahrainis and expatriates, along with data on final rulings, pending cases, enforcement and interim orders such as travel bans or asset freezes.

In his written reply, the minister said 57,311 new cases had been filed during 2024 across all courts.

By the end of the year, 59,280 had been concluded, roughly 103 per cent of those filed, leaving just over 10,200 cases still before the courts.

Pattern

A similar pattern was recorded the year before. In 2023, 57,615 cases were registered and 60,400 settled.

The number of ongoing cases at the close of that year stood at 11,000.

The minister also provided figures for cases in which temporary measures had been requested. Between the start of the term and the date of reply, there were 3,922 such lawsuits. Of these, 3,851 had concluded, 63 remained in progress and eight had been put on hold.

Final ruling

As for enforcement, Al Maawda noted that carrying out a final ruling depends on a party stepping forward to request action, either through a court decision or an enforceable deed.

The process then follows the path laid out in Bahrain’s Civil and Commercial Execution Law issued by Decree-Law No. 22 of 2021.

He added that the ministry continues to support the work of the Supreme Judicial Council in improving access to justice and is making use of electronic tools to speed up case handling and reduce delays.