JEDDAH: As part of a digital initiative launched by the Justice Ministry, recently established commercial courts across Saudi Arabia have reduced the time taken to deal with cases from two months to only 72 hours.With the help of a simple-to-use electronic portal that is used to collect details of cases from all of the parties involved, the courts have been able to hold more than 46,000 hearings since October 2017.Another benefit of the portal is that it is helping the courts become paperless, reducing the dependency on printed documents by replacing them with online procedures.“This project succeeded in reducing a large amount of paper waste and enhanced the communication process with clients and beneficiaries,” the ministry said.Justice Minister Walid Al-Samaani said that the establishment of the three commercial courts, in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam, would enhance the economy in line with the objectives of Vision 2030 by encouraging investment, especially since Saudi Arabia has become an attractive market for foreign investors who expect their rights to be protected.“This has led to (the courts) conducting more than 46,000 sessions, with an average of 126 sessions a day,” he said.Al-Samaani added that the courts provided 20 million judicial services last year to citizens and residents through digital and traditional means.