His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday received a copy of the annual report on Sharia Courts and their conduct of business for the year 2020.

During a meeting at Al Husseiniya Palace with Chief Islamic Justice Abdul Hafez Rabtah and Sharia Judicial Council President Kamal Smadi, King Abdullah commended the progress of work at Sharia courts last year despite pandemic-related challenges.

His Majesty said building the capacities of Sharia judiciary and court employees is a priority, commending the courts’ utilisation of technology to streamline services, especially during lockdown.

The King reaffirmed the important role of Sharia courts in Jerusalem in safeguarding the heritage of the holy city and documents of waqf properties, as well as serving Jerusalemites.

According to the report, Sharia courts received over 88,000 cases in 2020, and looked into more than 116,000 cases, despite the suspension of adjudication for a while due to the pandemic, compared to around 123,000 cases in 2019.

Sharia courts issued rulings in over 82,000 cases, constituting 93 per cent of all registered cases last year.

In Jerusalem, Sharia courts dealt with nearly 7,000 cases and documents in 2020.

The report covered achievements of Sharia courts during lockdown, including the creation of a website to receive requests for delivering alimonies to their beneficiaries, through the Jordan Post.

In addition, the report cited issuing some 20,000 “Family E-cards” in 2020, with the total value of e-transactions reaching JD14.7 million.

Royal Court Chief Yousef Issawi and Director of the Office of His Majesty Jafar Hassan attended the meeting.