Article 26 of the Saudi Anti-Money Laundering Law

المادة 26 من نظام مكافحة غسل الأموال · الفصل السابع: العقوبات

The article sets the basic penalty for money laundering: imprisonment of two to ten years, or a fine not exceeding SAR 5,000,000, or both.

Official text (Arabic)

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

يعاقب كل من يرتكب جريمة غسل الأموال المنصوص عليها في المادة (الثانية) من النظام؛ بالسجن مدة لا تقل عن سنتين ولا تتجاوز عشر سنوات, أو بغرامة لا تزيد على خمسة ملايين ريال، أو بكلتا العقوبتين.

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 26 explained in plain English

This article sets the basic penalty for anyone who commits the money laundering offense provided for in Article 2.

The punishable acts under Article 2 are:

Converting or transferring funds or carrying out any transaction with them, knowing they are proceeds of a crime, to conceal their source or to help the person involved escape.
Acquiring, possessing or using them, knowing they are proceeds of a crime or of an unlawful source.
Concealing or disguising their nature, source, ownership or movement, knowing this.
Attempting this, or participating in it by agreement, assistance, incitement, cover-up and the like.

The penalty is one of the following:

Imprisonment for a period of no less than two years and not exceeding 10 years.
Or a fine not exceeding SAR 5,000,000.
Or both penalties together.

In the related articles: Article 27 increases the penalty to imprisonment of 3 to 15 years or a fine not exceeding SAR 7,000,000 or both, if the offense is accompanied by certain circumstances such as being committed through an organized criminal group, the use of violence or weapons, or the exploitation of a minor. This penalty also differs from the supervisory authority's penalties in Article 25: those are penalties for violating the law's requirements and instructions, whereas this is a penalty for committing the offense itself.

Because the penalty ranges between a minimum and a maximum, setting it in each case depends on its circumstances. Anyone facing an accusation of this offense should seek a lawyer who specializes in criminal cases.

Practical example

Sami was convicted of receiving funds in his account knowing they came from fraud, and then transferring them to other accounts to conceal their source. His penalty under this article is imprisonment for between two and ten years, or a fine not exceeding five million riyals, or both, unless his act was accompanied by one of the aggravating circumstances in Article 27.

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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