Grounds for Setting Aside Arbitral Awards Relating to Arbitration Agreement: A Comparative Analysis of Saudi and English Arbitration Laws

Abstract

This paper presents a comparative analysis of legal grounds for setting aside arbitral awards relating to arbitration agreement in Saudi Arabia and England. The paper reviews the attempts made by legal writers to define the different types of arbitral awards. The paper explores the differences and similarities between the system of setting aside arbitral awards under the Saudi and the English laws. The study concludes that there is a clear similarity between the positions of each of the Saudi arbitration Law and the English Arbitration Act with respect to the subject matter of this paper. The research shows how the Saudi Arbitration law considers arbitral awards final and binding and there is no way to appeal arbitral awards in any way. The only way to challenge an award is in cases of invalidity of the arbitral award and in very limited instances. The paper shows how the English Arbitration Act narrows the scope of judicial intervention in arbitration and limits the grounds for setting aside arbitral awards. Yet English arbitration Act entitles a party to appeal an award in specific cases. The paper provided a number of recommendations and suggested a regulatory reform in the Saudi arbitration law.