Article 46 of the Saudi Anti-Money Laundering Law

المادة 46 من نظام مكافحة غسل الأموال · الفصل العاشر: أحكام عامة

The article allows the Public Prosecution to issue a reasoned order to monitor, record and intercept communications, messages and computer data in money laundering and predicate offenses, without prior warning.

Official text (Arabic)

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

مع عدم الإخلال بما يتضمنه نظام الإجراءات الجزائية، للنيابة العامة بمبادرة منها أو بطلب من رجل الضبط الجنائي، أن تصدر أمراً مسبباً يسمح لرجل الضبط الجنائي أو المحقق بمراقبة وضبط وتسجيل واعتراض وحجز والوصول إلى كافة أشكال الأدلّة والسجلات والرسائل بما فيها الخطابات والمطبوعات والطرود وسائر وسائل الاتصال والمحادثات الهاتفية والمعلومات والبيانات المخزنة في أجهزة الحاسب الآلي المحددة في الأمر، سواء أكان ذلك في جريمة أصلية أو في جريمة غسل أموال. كما يجوز لها إصدار أمر بموجب هذه المادة من طرف واحد ودون سابق إنذار للطرف المعني.

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 46 explained in plain English

This article gives the Public Prosecution the power to order the monitoring of communications and access to evidence in money laundering and predicate offense cases, without prejudice to what the Law of Criminal Procedure provides.

Who issues the order? The Public Prosecution on its own initiative or at the request of a criminal investigation officer, and the order must be reasoned.

What the order allows the criminal investigation officer or investigator to do: Monitor, seize, record, intercept, retain and gain access to all forms of evidence, records and messages, including:

Letters, printed matter and parcels.
Other means of communication and telephone conversations.
Information and data stored on the computers specified in the order.

Its scope: It covers the predicate offense and the money laundering offense alike.

Safeguards in the text:

The order must be reasoned.
The computers to be accessed must be specified in the order.
The order may be issued ex parte and without prior warning to the party concerned.

The article does not set a period for the monitoring. It complements Article 45 on search warrants, and Article 47, which makes the competent court the body that decides all the law's offenses. Anyone who believes their communications were monitored in a case needs to consult a lawyer who specializes in criminal cases.

Practical example

During an investigation into a network receiving funds from prohibited trade, a criminal investigation officer asked the Public Prosecution for access to a suspect's messages and the data on the computer used for his activity. The Public Prosecution issues a reasoned order specifying the device concerned, without prior warning to the suspect.

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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