Article 30 of the Saudi Anti-Money Laundering Law

This article sets the amount of reduction possible for the money laundering penalty, and adds a second case for reduction that differs from the case in Article 29.

First: the penalty after reduction. The penalties in Article 26, which are originally imprisonment of two to ten years or a fine not exceeding SAR 5,000,000 or both, may be reduced according to the circumstances provided for by law, so that they become:

• imprisonment for a period of no less than one year and not exceeding 7 years,
• or a fine not exceeding SAR 3,000,000,
• or both penalties.

Second: the conditions of this case:

1. The perpetrator takes the initiative to report after the competent authorities have learned of the offense.
2. The information is of a kind that could not have been obtained in another way.
3. It is to help with any of the following: preventing another money laundering offense or limiting its effects, identifying or prosecuting the other perpetrators, obtaining evidence, or depriving organized criminal groups of funds they have no right to or preventing them from controlling them.

The difference from Article 29: That article concerns someone who reports the offense before the authorities learn of it, or reports its other perpetrators, and whose report leads to their seizure or the seizure of the funds, instrumentalities or proceeds, and it refers to this article for the amount of reduction. This article also covers someone who cooperates after the authorities have learned.

The reduction here is permissive and not automatic. Anyone considering cooperating with the authorities should consult a lawyer who specializes in criminal cases.