Can you claim compensation inside a criminal case in Qatar, or do you need a civil case?

Can you claim compensation inside a criminal case in Qatar?

Yes. Anyone who suffered direct personal harm from a crime may bring a civil claim against the accused during the investigation, or before the court hearing the criminal case at any stage until pleadings close, but not before the Court of Appeal (Criminal Procedure Code, Article 19). The criminal court then decides the penalty and the compensation together.

For the criminal case itself, see how a criminal case moves in Qatar; for the Code's other rules, see the Criminal Procedure Code guide.

Who can claim, and who can be made to pay?

The right belongs to anyone who suffered "direct personal harm" from the crime (Article 19). The text does not limit it to individuals, so the claimant may be a person, a company or a victim's heirs. Compensation covers the loss suffered, the gain missed and moral harm (Civil Code, Articles 199, 201 and 202).

• - If the harmed person lacks capacity and has no legal representative, the court must appoint one to claim for them (Article 20).
• - Moral harm caused by a death is compensated only for spouses and relatives up to the second degree (Civil Code, Article 202).
• - Receiving diya (blood money) does not bar compensation for other harm, unless it was waived (Civil Code, Article 218).

The accused is liable first. The law makes others answerable in set cases:

A person civilly responsible, such as an employer, and an insurer may join the criminal case at any stage, and the prosecution and the civil claimant may object (Article 21). Article 19 speaks of a claim "against the accused"; against an employer who does not join, the civil court route under Article 209 of the Civil Code is open. A company can therefore be the harmed claimant or the answerable employer.

How do you join as a civil claimant, and what does it cost?

The Code sets when a civil claim can be made, not a special form for it (Article 19).

1. 1

   1. Gather proof of the harm and its value, such as medical reports, invoices or repair estimates, and proof of standing if you are an heir or act for a company.

2. 2

   2. Make the claim to the prosecutor during the investigation, or to the trial court, stating the compensation you seek.

3. 3

   3. Attend investigation steps, submit requests, and ask for copies of the papers at your own expense (Articles 65 to 67).

4. 4

   4. At trial, question witnesses after the prosecution and the victim (Articles 190 and 191), and allege that any paper in the file is forged (Article 206).

The Code sets no deposit for the civil claimant, and its costs articles deal with the convicted accused (Articles 243 to 246). In a separate civil claim, the claimant pays the full filing fee on lodging it, and the losing party bears the costs, including an amount for lawyers' fees (Civil and Commercial Procedure Law, Articles 33 and 131).

If you are the person summoned rather than the person harmed, see your rights after a police summons.

Criminal court or civil court: how do the two routes differ?

The main difference is timing. The criminal court decides the penalty and compensation together, while a civil court must stay a compensation claim until a final judgment in a criminal case filed before or during it (Articles 25 and 322).

The stay does not prevent precautionary or urgent measures, and it ends if the accused is convicted in absence, once the prosecution's challenge period runs out or its challenge is decided (Article 25).

A final criminal judgment on the merits binds the civil courts on whether the crime happened, its legal description and who committed it (Article 319), but only on facts it had to decide (Procedure Law, Article 301). A civil judgment does not bind the criminal courts on those points (Article 320).

The Code expressly lets a civil claimant leave the criminal court at any stage for the civil court (Article 24). It says nothing about moving the other way.

What if the case ends without a conviction, and can the civil claimant appeal?

What happens to the compensation claim depends on how the criminal case ends:

The Code's appeal and cassation articles name only the prosecution and the convicted person (Articles 272 and 288). Court of Cassation rulings published on Al Meezan show civil claimants appealing and challenging the civil part, within limits:

• - The civil claimant may challenge only the civil claim, not the criminal case (criminal appeal No. 277 of 2015).
• - A referral of the civil claim to the civil court cannot be appealed, because it does not end the claim (same ruling).
• - If the accused was tried in absence, the civil claimant must wait until the accused can no longer object before going to cassation (Article 290; criminal appeal No. 120 of 2013).
• - Appeal periods are 15 days from a judgment given in presence (30 for the prosecution) and 60 days for cassation, plus any distance period (Articles 276, 291 and 405).

How long do you have, and how is the award enforced?

A compensation claim lapses three years after the harmed person learns of the harm and who is liable, or 15 years after the act, whichever comes first, but a claim arising from a crime does not lapse while the criminal case is alive (Civil Code, Article 219).

A compensation award can be enforced because court judgments are enforceable instruments, and the Enforcement Court alone handles enforcement requests (Judicial Enforcement Law, Law No. 4 of 2024, Articles 3 and 6). Forced enforcement waits while an appeal is possible, unless provisional enforcement applies (Article 8). See how to enforce a judgment in Qatar.

If the convicted person dies after a final judgment, compensation is enforced against the estate (Article 378), and rehabilitation cannot be used against the victim's right to compensation (Article 393).

When should you speak to a lawyer?

These situations are worth an early legal review, whether you are the person harmed, the accused or a company:

• - You were harmed by a crime and the case is still under investigation.
• - You are weighing whether to leave the criminal court for the civil court.
• - Nearly three years have passed since you learned of the harm and who caused it.
• - You are an employer asked to pay for an employee's act.
• - A no-grounds order was issued and the 15-day challenge period is running.
• - The civil claim was referred to the civil court, the accused was acquitted, or an award is unpaid.

Questions people ask