Article 8 of the Saudi Classified Information Penal Law

After the Law set out the prohibited acts and their penalties, this article specifies the body that handles investigation and prosecution.

The article contains two matters:

• Investigation: it is handled by the investigating body competent under law in the crimes stated in this Law.
• Prosecution: it is handled by the same body before the competent judicial body.

The text does not name the investigating body, but refers to the body "competent under law", that is, the one specified by the laws in force. Nor does it contain procedural details on the stages of investigation or their durations.

This article works together with Article 9, which requires government bodies, including security bodies, to notify the investigating body when any of these crimes occurs, and to notify the government body to which the suspect belongs.

Among the provisions linked to these crimes is what Article 7 provides, that proportionality between the crime and the penalty and mitigating and aggravating circumstances are considered when applying the penalty, and among the aggravating circumstances are committing the crime in wartime or for a foreign state, the document having a high degree of secrecy, serious harm, or the offender holding a senior position or one of a confidential nature.

To know the competent body and the procedures in a particular case, it is advisable to consult a lawyer specializing in criminal matters.