Chapter First: Issuance of Judgments

Article 528

Deliberation for the issuance of judgments shall take place, under penalty of nullity, among the judges who attended the pleadings and the conclusion of the trial. The deliberation shall be confidential.

Article 529

1. Judgments are issued by unanimous agreement or by a majority of votes. 2. In the latter case, the dissenting judge must record his dissent.

Article 530

1. The judges shall sign the judgment before it is pronounced, and the clerk shall sign it immediately thereafter; otherwise, the judgment shall be null and void.

Article 531

1. The court may, after the conclusion of the pleadings, pronounce the judgment in the session, and it may postpone its issuance to another nearby session to be determined.

Article 532

If it is necessary to postpone the rendering of the judgment a second time, the court shall so declare in the hearing with the designation of the day on which it shall be pronounced and the statement of the reasons for postponement in the record.

Article 533

The judgment shall be pronounced by the President or one of the judges who participated with him in the deliberation, in a session in which their attendance is not required. The pronouncement of the judgment shall be public, and if not, the judgment shall be null and void, unless the law provides otherwise.

Article 534

1. The pronouncement of the judgment may be limited to the reading of its dispositive clause.

Article 535

1. A judgment shall be rendered at the seat of the court unless otherwise stipulated. 2. The date of the pronouncement of the judgment shall be deemed the date of the judgment itself.

Article 536

1. The clerk shall draw up a minutes to prove the pronouncement of the judgment, which shall be signed by the President and the clerk.

Article 537

The judgment must contain the following particulars: 1- That it is issued in the name of the Lebanese people, and this shall be explicitly stated therein. 2- The name of the court that issued it. 3- The names of the judges who participated in its issuance. 4- The name of the representative of the public prosecutor.

Article 538

1. The court may, within the limits of the law, decide in the judgment it issues to grant the defendant a deadline for its implementation, provided that it states the reasons that prompted it to do so. 2. The granted deadline starts from the date of the judgment if it is final, and otherwise from the date of its notification. 3. Granting the deadline does not prevent the taking of precautionary measures.

Article 539

The period mentioned in the previous article may not be granted, and if it is granted, it must be withdrawn upon request of the party: 1- In case of bankruptcy or insolvency of the judgment debtor. 2- In case the judgment debtor undertakes an act that resulted in the reduction of the guarantees.