Article 2 of the Saudi Anti-Fraud Law

المادة 2 من نظام مكافحة الغش التجاري · الفصل الثاني: المخالفات

The article lists the acts that violate the Anti-Commercial Fraud Law, from deceiving about a product and adulterating it to selling, possessing, importing or packaging it in breach of the specifications.

Official text (Arabic)

This article has not been amended since the law was issued.

يعد مخالفًا لأحكام هذا النظام كل من:

1- خدع - أو شرع في الخداع - بأي طريقة من الطرق في أحد الأمور الآتية:

أ - ذاتية المنتج، أو طبيعته، أو جنسه، أو نوعه، أو عناصره، أو صفاته الجوهرية.

ب - مصدر المنتج.

ج - قدر المنتج، سواء في الوزن، أو الكيل، أو المقاس، أو العدد، أو الطاقة، أو العيار.

2- غش - أو شرع - في غش المنتج.

3- باع منتجًا مغشوشًا، أو عرضه.

4- حاز منتجًا مغشوشًا بقصد المتاجرة.

5- صنع منتجات مخالفة للمواصفات القياسية المعتمدة، أو أنتجها أو حازها، أو باعها، أو عرضها.

6- استعمل آنية، أو أوعية، أو أغلفة، أو عبوات، أو ملصقات، مخالفة للمواصفات القياسية المعتمدة، وذلك في تجهيز - أو تحضير - ما يكون معدًّا للبيع من المنتجات.

7- عبأ منتجًا، أو حزمه، أو ربطه، أو وزعه، أو خزنه، أو نقله، بالمخالفة للمواصفات القياسية المعتمدة.

8- استورد عبوات، أو أغلفة، أو مطبوعات تستعمل في الغش، أو صنعها، أو طبعها، أو حازها، أو باعها، أو عرضها.

9- استورد منتجًا مغشوشًا.

This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers

Article 2 explained in plain English

This article is the list of the basic violations in the Law. Anyone who commits one of the following acts is a violator:

Deceiving or attempting to deceive in any manner about the identity, nature, type, components or essential characteristics of the product, or about its source, or about its quantity (weight, measure, size, number, capacity, standard).
Adulterating a product or attempting to adulterate it.
Selling or displaying an adulterated product.
Possessing an adulterated product with the intent to trade in it.
Manufacturing, producing, possessing, selling or displaying products that violate the approved standard specifications.
Using vessels, containers, wrappers, packaging or labels that violate the specifications in preparing what is intended for sale.
Packing, bundling, distributing, storing or transporting a product in breach of the specifications.
Importing, manufacturing, printing, possessing, selling or displaying packaging, wrappers or printed matter used in fraud.
Importing an adulterated product.

Note that the Law punishes attempt at deceiving and adulterating and not only the completed act, and that possession is a violation under item 4 only if it is with the intent to trade. "Adulterated product" and "approved standard specifications" are understood as defined in Article 1. Article 3 adds a separate obligation on the producer, importer and distributor of an adulterated product he has circulated to notify the Ministry of its quantity and the merchants to whom it was supplied.

Anyone accused of one of these violations would do well to consult a lawyer specialized in criminal or commercial cases.

Practical example

A perfume merchant in Jeddah sells bottles labeled as imported from France, when in fact they were filled locally with a different mixture. This is deception about the source and characteristics of the product, so he violates this article, even if he did not make them himself, as long as he sells or displays them while they are adulterated.

Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.

How we write and review content

Criminal Law lawyers: ask a specialist about your case

Describe your situation briefly and we'll suggest a lawyer who specialises in this law