Article 16 of the Saudi Anti-Bribery Law

This article encourages the uncovering of bribery offenses by granting full exemption to some of the parties if they take the initiative to report.

Who benefits from the exemption? The text expressly mentions:

• The briber, who offered the promise or gift.
• The intermediary between the briber and the bribe-taker.

The article does not list the bribe-taking employee among those covered by the exemption.

The condition for exemption: that he informs the authorities of the offense before it is discovered. Timing is the condition the text sets; the article ties the exemption to reporting before discovery.

Scope of the exemption: it covers both the principal penalty (such as the imprisonment and fine prescribed for the offense) and the subsidiary penalty.

This provision differs from Article 17, which grants a reward to whoever points to an offense under the Law and whose information leads to its being established, provided he is not a briber, participant or intermediary; the reward is not less than SAR 5,000 and not more than half the value of the confiscated money, is estimated by the body that adjudicates the offense, and the Presidency of State Security may pay a higher reward with the approval of the Prime Minister. So the reporting briber or intermediary receives the exemption, not the reward.

Anyone involved in a bribery incident who is thinking of reporting would do well to consult a lawyer specializing in criminal matters to assess his position.