A Saudi judge cited the influence of jinns to plead innocent when confronted with evidence that he had embezzled more than 600 million Saudi riyals of public funds. During the investigation on June 4th, the judge said he was possessed by devils when the embezzlement took place and was seeking help from an exorcist who would rid him of the supernatural curse. He used the same excuse to suggest he had no control over his own actions and words.

After reviewing all the facts of the case, the Saudi Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution in Madinah concluded that the judge along with 36 other accomplices were guilty of administrative as well as financial corruption. Many Saudis had assumed that the judge would get away with his crime as he was being tried by his own peers but the panel’s conclusion was a pleasant surprise.

“This case has proved to be a big test for our public judiciary system because some religious scholars say that it is true that people who are possessed by jinns cannot control their actions. However, the bureau investigators decided to look into the case from a strictly legal viewpoint. Laws, they decided, do not take supernatural spirits into consideration… Had the bureau ruled otherwise, this could have resulted in a catastrophe. The West has made giant strides in all scientific fields because they only believe in empirical research that is based on what is actually observed. There is no place for the supernatural and things that cannot be proved empirically. There was a time when Arabs made gigantic leaps in various scientific fields, but they could not maintain this leading position due to various reasons related to politics and sectarian struggles as well as the absence of reasoning,” said Abdul Aziz Al Simari, a local columnist.

Public response to the panel’s conclusion with regards to the embezzlement case was refreshing. Most people seemed offended by the fact that the judge had tried to defend his corrupt acts by citing religious references and welcomed the panel’s decision, which was based solely on empirical reasoning.

One commentator said, “Does the convicted judge really believe that society is so naive as to accept his bizarre claims? Or perhaps he believed that somebody equally corrupt or maybe jinns would come to his rescue! I applaud the Bureau of Investigations for their role in convicting the judge and sincerely hope that they follow suit with other officials who are embezzling money. But again, maybe those officials who are getting away with embezzlement have stronger, more powerful and more influential jinns on their sides!”

Photo Credit: Light in the Darkness of Life