Article 24 of the Saudi Anti-Fraud Law

المادة 24 من نظام مكافحة الغش التجاري · الفصل الرابع: العقوبات

The Article doubles the maximum penalty for a repeat violation within five years of the final judgment, and adds a ban from commercial activity of up to five years for a further repeat.

Official text (Arabic)

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

إذا عاد المخالف إلى ارتكاب أي من المخالفات المنصوص عليها في هذا النظام خلال خمس سنوات من تاريخ صدور الحكم نهائيًّا، يعاقب بعقوبة لا تزيد على ضعف الحد الأعلى للعقوبة المقررة للمخالفة، فإن عاد مرة أخرى– فبالإضافة إلى العقوبات المقررة– يحرم من مزاولة النشاط التجاري مدة لا تزيد على (خمس) سنوات.

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 24 explained in plain English

This Article deals with repeat offending, where an offender commits violations of the Law again after being sentenced. It escalates in two stages:

First repeat offense:

The condition is that the offender commits any violation of the Law within five years of the date the judgment became final.
The effect is a penalty of not more than double the maximum penalty prescribed for the violation. If the fine for a given violation has a set maximum, the penalty can reach twice that maximum.

A further repeat:

If the offender repeats the violation again, then in addition to the prescribed penalties he is barred from engaging in commercial activity for a period of not more than five years.

Note that the period runs from the date the judgment became final, not from the date of the first violation, and that repeat offending covers any violation of the Law, not only the same violation. As for the further repeat, the text does not expressly tie it to a time period.

The aim is to deter those for whom the first penalty is not enough. The Article comes after Article 23 on the travel ban and the deportation of non-Saudis, and before Article 25 on publishing a summary of the judgment. Anyone facing a judgment as a repeat offender would do well to consult a lawyer who specializes in criminal cases.

Practical example

A final judgment was issued against the owner of a sweets factory in Riyadh for a violation of the Law, and three years later he was caught in a new violation. His penalty may reach double the prescribed maximum, and if he offends again he may be barred from commercial activity for up to five years.

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

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