Justice Minister Walid Al-Samaani

:: The enforcement courts across the Kingdom have ordered 3,652 men to pay court-ordered alimony to their divorced or abandoned wives and children, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said.

The husbands have to fully comply with court rulings or face penalties including imprisonment and fines if they fail to pay the due alimony this year.

According to a circular issued by Justice Minister Walid Al-Samaani, the Saudi courts consider that those abstaining from paying court-ordered alimony to wives and children is one form of torture; therefore, the courts should take necessary measures against those who are delinquent, the agency said.

For his part, the ministry’s undersecretary for enforcement, Hamad Al-Khudairi, said those who do not pay court-ordered alimony will receive a prison term not exceeding seven years. The same ruling applies to those who conceal money or deliberately disrupt the implementation of the ruling.