Article 8 of the Saudi Anti-Fraud Law

المادة 8 من نظام مكافحة الغش التجاري · الفصل الثالث: الضبط والتحقيق والمحاكمة

The article requires the competent authority to examine the product and release the result within fifteen days at most for food products, leaving it to the Regulations to set periods for other products.

Official text (Arabic)

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

تلتزم الجهة المختصة بفحص المنتج وإظهار نتيجة الفحص خلال مدة لا تتجاوز خمسة عشر يومًا بالنسبة للمنتجات الغذائية، أما المنتجات الأخرى فتحدد اللائحة المدد اللازمة لها.

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 8 explained in plain English

This article sets a time limit for examining suspected products, so that the merchant is not left hanging for a long, undefined period.

Food products: the competent authority must examine the product and release the examination result within a period of no more than fifteen days.
Other products: the article sets no period for them, and refers their determination to the Implementing Regulations.

The importance of this article appears when it is read with Article 7, which bars the merchant from dealing with the suspected product before the examination result clearing it appears. Article 7 protects the consumer by holding the product, and Article 8 protects the merchant by requiring the competent authority to finish the examination within a set time, especially for food, which may spoil if held for long.

The obligation here falls on the authority competent to examine, not on the merchant. The article does not state what follows if the period is exceeded, so no particular result can be assumed from the text alone.

A merchant whose products' examination result is delayed beyond the set period can approach the competent authority, or consult a lawyer specialized in commercial cases to learn the options available.

Practical example

Samples were taken from a shipment of chilled chicken at a warehouse in Jeddah. Under this article the examination result must be released within a period of no more than fifteen days, and the warehouse remains barred from dealing with the shipment during that time.

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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