Article 12 of the Saudi Anti-Smoking Law
المادة 12 من نظام مكافحة التدخين
The article makes government bodies, educational, health, sports, cultural, social and charitable institutions, and private-sector establishments responsible for catching and recording violations of the law and imposing fines.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
تتولى الوزارات والمصالح الحكومية والمؤسسات والهيئات العامة وفروعها، والجهات العامة الأخرى في الدولة، والمؤسسات التعليمية والصحية والرياضية والثقافية والاجتماعية والخيرية، ومؤسسات ومنشآت القطاع الخاص وفروعها؛ مسؤولية ضبط وتحرير المخالفات وإيقاع الغرامات.
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 12 explained in plain English
This article specifies who applies the law on the ground. Instead of confining enforcement to a single supervisory body, it distributes responsibility among the bodies where violations most often occur, namely:
- Ministries, government departments, public institutions and bodies and their branches, and other public entities in the state.
- Educational, health, sports, cultural, social and charitable institutions.
- Private-sector institutions and establishments and their branches.
The responsibility assigned to them is threefold: catching violations, recording them, and imposing fines.
The understanding from the text is that each of these bodies is responsible for applying the law within its own scope, so supervision is not limited to a single government body. The amounts of the fines are set in other articles, including Article 13, which punishes anyone who violates Article 3 with a fine of SAR 20,000 and removal of the violation at their expense. It also connects to Article 11, which requires government bodies to run continuous anti-smoking awareness programs.
The article does not detail the procedures for catching violations, the forms of the violation reports, or the method of collection. Anyone who has been penalized would do well to consult a lawyer specializing in administrative cases to learn the ways to object.
Practical example
A violation of the Anti-Smoking Law occurred inside the premises of a private company in Riyadh. Under this article, the company itself, as a private-sector establishment, is responsible for catching and recording the violation and imposing the fine.
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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Frequently asked questions about Article 12 of the Saudi Anti-Smoking Law
Which body records a smoking violation?
Government bodies, educational, health, sports, cultural, social and charitable institutions, and private-sector establishments are responsible for catching and recording violations and imposing fines.
Is a private company entitled to impose a smoking fine?
Yes. The article lists private-sector institutions and establishments and their branches among the bodies responsible for catching violations and imposing fines.
More articles on Smoking Violations and Fines
- Article 13
The article punishes anyone who violates the ban on growing or manufacturing tobacco in Article 3 with a fine of SAR 20,000 and removal of the violation at their expense.
يعاقب كل مخالف لأحكام المادة (الثالثة) من هذا النظام بغرامة مالية مقدارها (20.000) عشرون ألف ريال مع إزالة المخالفة على حسابه.
- Article 14
The article punishes anyone who smokes in the places where Article 7 prohibits smoking with a fine of SAR 200.
يعاقب كل من يتعاطى التدخين مخالفاً أحكام المادة (السابعة) من هذا النظام بغرامة مالية مقدارها (200) مائتا ريال.
- Article 15
The article punishes any violation of the law for which no specific penalty is provided with a fine not exceeding SAR 5,000, doubled in case of repeat offense.
فيما لم يرد في شأنه نص خاص بالعقوبة، يعاقب كل من يرتكب أي مخالفة لأي حكم من أحكام هذا النظام بغرامة لا تتجاوز (5000) خمسة آلاف ريال، وتضاعف العقوبة في حالة العَ
- Article 16
The article allows anyone penalized under the Anti-Smoking Law to file a grievance before the competent authority within the prescribed statutory period.
يجوز لمن صدرت ضده عقوبة من العقوبات المنصوص عليها في هذا النظام، التظلم أمام الجهة المختصة، خلال المدة النظامية المقررة.
- Article 17
The article provides that the penalties in the Anti-Smoking Law do not prevent applying any more severe penalty set by another law.
لا تخل العقوبات المنصوص عليها في هذا النظام بأي عقوبة أشد ينص عليها نظام آخر .
- Article 18
The article allocates all fines collected under the Anti-Smoking Law to support awareness and encourage civil associations to combat smoking, through a bank account spent according to the Minister of Health's instructions.
تخصص جميع الغرامات المحصلة بموجب أحكام هذا النظام لدعم جهود التوعية وتشجيع الجمعيات الأهلية على مكافحة التدخين ونشرها على مستوى المملكة. وينشأ لهذا الغرض حساب ب
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.