In force Last amended 18/2/1444 AH
Saudi Counter-Terrorism Crimes and Financing Law
نظام مكافحة جرائم الإرهاب وتمويله
The Law on Combating Terrorism Crimes and Their Financing of Saudi Arabia. This page presents the official Arabic text of each article with plain-English explanations.
- Articles
- 96
- In force
- 96
- Amended
- 2
- Issued
- 12/2/1439 AH
Issued by: مرسوم ملكي رقم (م 21) بتاريخ 1439/2/12 هـ · قرار مجلس الوزراء رقم (92) بتاريخ 1439/2/11 هـ
Each article shows the official Arabic text, which is the only legally binding version, followed by our plain-English explanation.
Browse Counter-Terrorism Crimes and Financing Law by topic
Definition of a Terrorist Crime9 articlesArrest and Search in Terrorism Crimes7 articlesDetention and Travel Ban9 articlesTrial before the Specialized Criminal Court8 articlesPenalty for Insulting the King and Crown Prince1 articlePenalty for Joining a Terrorist Entity4 articlesPenalty for Supporting Terrorist Ideology3 articlesPenalties for Terrorist Acts12 articlesPenalty for Terrorist Financing2 articlesAggravating and Mitigating Penalties10 articlesPrecautionary Attachment and Confiscation of Funds8 articlesDuties of Financial Institutions and Reporting12 articlesSupervision and Financial Intelligence9 articlesInternational Cooperation and Extradition7 articlesWitness Protection and Rehabilitation of Detainees8 articles
Articles of the Saudi Counter-Terrorism Crimes and Financing Law
الفصل الأول: التعريفاتArticles 1–1
الفصل الثاني: أحكام عامةArticles 2–3
- Article 2Article 2 treats all crimes under the Counter-Terrorism Crimes and Financing Law as major crimes requiring detention.
- Article 3Article 3 extends the Law to any Saudi or foreigner who commits a crime under it outside the Kingdom and has not been tried for it, if it aims at one of seven stated purposes.
الفصل الثالث: الإجراءاتArticles 4–29
- Article 4Article 4 gives the Presidency of State Security the tasks of criminal arrest and evidence gathering, financial investigation and tracing a suspect's funds and the proceeds and instrumentalities of crime under the Law.
- Article 5Article 5 gives the Public Prosecution the power to issue a summons or an arrest and bring order against a suspect, and bars keeping an arrested person detained more than 7 days without a written order.
- Article 6Article 6 lets the Public Prosecution, and the Presidency of State Security at the evidence-gathering stage, request records and information from any person or institution, and requires fast, accurate execution and confidentiality.
- Article 7Article 7 gives the Public Prosecution the power to authorize entering and searching homes, offices and buildings, and arrest and seizure, and allows acting without authorization in necessity with a record and notice to the Prosecution within 24 hours.
- Article 8Article 8 allows the Attorney General to issue a reasoned order to monitor, access, intercept, seize and record evidence, records, messages, means of communication and electronic information linked to crimes under the Law.
- Article 9Article 9 allows the Public Prosecution, and the head of State Security at the evidence-gathering stage, to order urgent precautionary seizure, without notifying the person concerned, of funds, instrumentalities or proceeds suspected of being linked to crimes under the Law.
- Article 10Article 10 allows the head of State Security to impose a travel ban on a suspect, with the order put to the Prosecution within 72 hours, and the Attorney General to ban an accused person, with notice to the person optionally withheld.
- Article 11Article 11 allows the Public Prosecution to suspend proceedings against a person who voluntarily reported a crime under the Law and cooperated with the competent authorities, without prejudice to the private claimant's right.
- Article 12Article 12 allows the Public Prosecution to release a person detained in a crime under the Law temporarily, unless it would harm the investigation or there is fear of flight or disappearance.
- Article 13Article 13 allows the Head of State Security to temporarily release a person convicted of a crime under the Law while the sentence is being served, under rules and conditions set by the Regulations.
- Article 14Article 14 gives the Head of State Security the power to set the rules, procedures and measures needed to ensure the security situation of persons released in crimes under the Law.
- Article 15Article 15 allows criminal investigation officers and military personnel assigned to combat crimes under the Law to use force to apprehend those crimes, under the rules set by law.
- Article 16Article 16 allows a person harmed by the accused or convicted in crimes under the Law to request compensation from the Head of State Security before going to court; a settlement committee decides within 90 days.
- Article 17Article 17 requires Customs, when terrorist financing is suspected, to seize currency, bearer instruments, gold, precious metals, gems and jewelry whatever their value, and refer them and their carrier immediately.
- Article 18Article 18 gives the Public Prosecution jurisdiction to investigate crimes under the Law and to file and pursue the criminal case before the competent court.
- Article 19Article 19 lets the Public Prosecution detain an accused for periods of up to 30 days each, not exceeding 12 months in total; anything longer is referred to the competent court.
- Article 20Article 20 allows the Public Prosecution to bar contact with or visits to the accused for up to 90 days when the interest of the investigation requires it, without prejudice to the right to notify his family of the arrest.
- Article 21Article 21 affirms the accused's right to a lawyer or agent and allows the Public Prosecution to restrict it at the investigation stage when the interest of the investigation requires it.
- Article 22Article 22 gives the Public Prosecution the power to identify and trace the funds, instrumentalities and proceeds that may be subject to confiscation, without prejudice to the rights of bona fide third parties.
- Article 23Article 23 provides that investigation and the criminal case in crimes under the Law do not depend on a complaint by the victim, and a private claimant may bring his claim after the investigation of the public right ends.
- Article 24Article 24 sets out what the Specialized Criminal Court decides: crimes under the Law, annulment and compensation claims, and requests to enforce foreign judgments, along with the routes of appeal and objection.
- Article 25Article 25 allows the court to issue a judgment in absentia against an accused of a crime under the Law if he was notified through the means of notification or an official media outlet, and he is retried upon arrest or appearance.
- Article 26Article 26 makes the competent court decide all connected crimes charged against the accused if one of them is a crime under the Law, unless the case papers were separated before being filed with the court.
- Article 27Article 27 allows the court to hear witnesses and experts apart from the accused and his lawyer while informing them of the testimony without revealing identity, requires their protection, and lets the court's president allow filming of sessions.
- Article 28Article 28 requires the competent authority to execute an order for precautionary seizure of funds, proceeds or instrumentalities urgently.
- Article 29Article 29 provides that the case in crimes under the Law does not lapse with the passage of time, and that an accused who lacks capacity is placed in a treatment center and referred to the Public Prosecution once the condition ends.
الفصل الرابع: العقوباتArticles 30–57
- Article 30Article 30 punishes with imprisonment of 5 to 10 years anyone who describes the King or the Crown Prince, directly or indirectly, with any description that impugns religion or justice.
- Article 31Article 31 punishes with imprisonment of 10 to 30 years anyone who carries any weapon or explosives in carrying out a terrorist crime.
- Article 32Article 32 punishes with imprisonment of 15 to 25 years anyone who establishes, manages or leads a terrorist entity, increased to 20 to 30 years for military personnel and those who received training with a terrorist entity.
- Article 33Article 33 punishes with imprisonment of 3 to 20 years anyone who joins or participates in a terrorist entity, increased to 15 to 30 years for military personnel and those who previously received training with a terrorist entity.
- Article 34Article 34 punishes with imprisonment of 3 to 8 years anyone who supports terrorist thought, an entity or a crime, sympathizes with it, promotes it, or possesses materials intended for publication.
- Article 35Article 35 punishes with imprisonment of 8 to 25 years anyone who incites joining a terrorist entity, recruits for it or helps finance this, and no less than 15 years if he prevents withdrawal or abuses authority.
- Article 36Article 36 punishes with imprisonment of 10 to 20 years anyone who, to commit crimes under the Law, designates a place for training, trains, is trained or finances training on weapons, forgery and combat.
- Article 37Article 37 punishes with imprisonment of 10 to 30 years anyone who supplies a terrorist entity, its members or any terrorist with weapons, explosives or hazardous materials, or with genuine or forged documents.
- Article 38Article 38 punishes with imprisonment of 10 to 20 years anyone who supplies a terrorist entity, its members or a terrorist with a means of communication, information, shelter, transport or any facility that helps achieve their purposes.
- Article 39Article 39 punishes with imprisonment of 15 to 25 years anyone who smuggles, manufactures, possesses or transports weapons, explosives or hazardous materials or their raw materials with the intent to use them in crimes under the Law.
- Article 40Article 40 punishes with imprisonment of 10 to 30 years anyone who kidnaps, detains or confines a person, or threatens to, in carrying out a terrorist or terrorist financing crime, and the court may sentence to death where a weapon is used.
- Article 41Article 41 punishes with imprisonment of 10 to 30 years anyone who hijacks a means of public transport, or threatens to, in carrying out a terrorist or terrorist financing crime, and with death if the act is accompanied by use or brandishing of weapons.
- Article 42Article 42 punishes with imprisonment of 8 to 15 years anyone who, in carrying out a terrorist crime, destroys, disrupts or endangers public or private facilities and property, means of transport or navigation installations.
- Article 43Article 43 punishes with imprisonment of 5 to 20 years anyone who creates, uses or publishes a website or software to commit crimes under the Law, serve a terrorist entity, or publish how to make explosives.
- Article 44Article 44 punishes with imprisonment of one to 5 years anyone who broadcasts or publishes by any means false or malicious news, statements or rumors or the like, with the intent to carry out a terrorist crime.
- Article 45Article 45 punishes with imprisonment of 5 to 10 years anyone who uses the Kingdom's territory as a place to plan or meet to commit a terrorist or terrorist financing crime outside the Kingdom.
- Article 46Article 46 punishes with imprisonment of 3 to 10 years anyone who obstructs the investigation or trial, or resists, assaults or threatens to assault those who apply the Law or their relatives or property.
- Article 47Article 47 punishes with imprisonment of 5 to 15 years anyone who provides, collects, transfers or possesses funds, or calls for donations, for crimes under the Law or a terrorist entity, even if no crime occurs, and no less than 10 years for abusing a position.
- Article 48Article 48 punishes with imprisonment of 5 to 15 years anyone who travels to another country with the purpose of committing any of the crimes set out in the Counter-Terrorism Crimes and Financing Law.
- Article 49Article 49 punishes a legal person with a fine of SAR 3 million to SAR 10 million if its owners, representatives, managers or agents commit a crime under the Law in its name or for its account, and allows suspension of its activity or liquidation.
- Article 50Article 50 prescribes death where a crime under the Law results in the death of one or more persons, and sets the imprisonment term at no less than half its maximum in cases of weapons, non-profit organizations, repeat offending or exploiting minors.
- Article 51Article 51 punishes attempt at crimes under the Law with the penalty prescribed for the act, and treats as an accomplice, with the same penalty, anyone who contributes by agreement, incitement or assistance, conceals evidence or helps a wanted person escape.
- Article 52Article 52 provides that the discretionary (ta'zir) penalties in the Law do not affect any more severe penalty based on the provisions of Islamic Sharia or other laws.
- Article 53Article 53 bars a Saudi sentenced to imprisonment for crimes under the Law from traveling after his sentence ends for a period equal to his prison term, and provides for deporting a non-Saudi after serving the sentence and barring his return.
- Article 54Article 54 punishes with imprisonment of up to 5 years anyone who knew of a plan to carry out a terrorist or terrorist financing crime and did not report it to the competent authorities though able to.
- Article 55Article 55 punishes with imprisonment of up to 5 years anyone who conceals any of the crimes set out in the Law or any of their perpetrators.
- Article 56Article 56 allows the court to mitigate the Law's penalties to no less than half the minimum prison term and fine if the offender took the initiative to report to the competent authorities information that could not have been obtained otherwise.
- Article 57Article 57 allows the court to suspend execution of up to half of the prison sentence if the convicted person has no prior conviction under the Law and shows remorse, and the suspension is cancelled if he reoffends.
الفصل الخامس: المصادرةArticles 58–62
- Article 58Article 58 provides for confiscation by judicial ruling of the proceeds, instrumentalities and funds connected to crimes under the Law or prepared for them, even if held by someone other than the offender, without prejudice to the rights of bona fide third parties.
- Article 59Article 59 provides for confiscating, by judicial ruling, other funds equal in value to the funds, instrumentalities or proceeds if they cannot be confiscated under Article 58 or their location cannot be determined.
- Article 60Article 60 bars confiscation of funds, instrumentalities or proceeds if their owner proves he obtained them for a fair price, for a service commensurate with their value, or on other lawful grounds, and was unaware of their unlawful source.
- Article 61Article 61 allows the Specialized Criminal Court to annul or prevent any act whose parties know it weakens the authorities' ability to recover funds subject to confiscation.
- Article 62Article 62 explains that confiscated funds, instrumentalities and proceeds that need not be destroyed may be disposed of by the competent authority under the legal rules, recovered, or shared with states linked to the Kingdom by agreements.
الفصل السادس: التدابيرArticles 63–71
- Article 63Article 63 requires financial institutions, designated non-financial businesses and professions, and non-profit organizations to identify, assess, document and continuously update their terrorist financing risks.
- Article 64Article 64 requires financial institutions and designated non-financial businesses and professions to apply due diligence measures according to the risk level, tighten them when risk is high, and leaves the details to the Regulations.
- Article 65Article 65 requires financial institutions and designated non-financial businesses and professions to keep all transaction records for at least 10 years and allows the Public Prosecution to require extending that period.
- Article 66Article 66 requires applying enhanced due diligence to dealings with persons from or residing in high-risk countries, and applying the risk-mitigation measures set by the supervisory authorities.
- Article 67Article 67 requires financial institutions, designated non-financial businesses and professions, and non-profit organizations to set and effectively implement policies, procedures and controls to combat terrorist financing, with their content left to the Regulations.
- Article 68Article 68 requires financial institutions to mitigate the risks of correspondent relationships with other financial institutions and to apply the Anti-Money Laundering Law's requirements to wire transfers.
- Article 69Article 69 requires financial institutions and designated non-financial businesses and professions to continuously monitor their transactions, and to scrutinize complex, unusually large and unusual patterns of transactions with no clear purpose.
- Article 70Article 70 requires financial institutions, designated non-financial businesses and professions, and non-profit organizations, including those providing legal or accounting services, to report suspected terrorist financing immediately to the General Directorate of Financial Intelligence.
- Article 71Article 71 prohibits tipping off a customer or anyone else that a report was submitted or an investigation exists, and exempts the entities and their staff from liability toward the person reported when they report in good faith.
الفصل السابع: التعاون الدوليArticles 72–75
- Article 72Article 72 allows the competent authorities to exchange information with counterpart foreign authorities, investigate on their behalf and form joint investigation teams, under agreements in force or reciprocity and while preserving confidentiality.
- Article 73The Article allows a person accused or convicted of any crime under the Law to be received from, and surrendered to, another country under a treaty in force or on reciprocity, and tried in the Kingdom if surrender is refused.
- Article 74The Article assigns to the Standing Committee for Mutual Legal Assistance Requests the receipt of mutual legal assistance requests relating to the crimes of this Law.
- Article 75The Article tasks the Standing Committee for Counter-Terrorism and Its Financing with receiving requests relating to Security Council resolutions and setting and updating mechanisms to implement them, and states that this is issued by decision of the President of State Security.
الفصل الثامن: الإدارة العامة للتحريات الماليةArticles 76–81
- Article 76The Article provides that the General Directorate of Financial Intelligence is a central national agency with sufficient operational independence that receives and analyzes reports linked to terrorism financing and refers the results to the competent authorities.
- Article 77The Article authorizes the General Directorate of Financial Intelligence to obtain additional information from the reporting party, to request information through the supervisory authority where there is no report, and to obtain information held by the competent authorities.
- Article 78The Article obliges every employee of the General Directorate of Financial Intelligence, or anyone answerable to it, to keep confidential the information they learn in performing their duties, even after their responsibilities end.
- Article 79The Article allows the General Directorate of Financial Intelligence to refer information and the results of its analysis to the competent authority when it assesses that there is suspicion of terrorism financing, and affirms its freedom and independence of decision in doing so.
- Article 80The Article allows the General Directorate of Financial Intelligence to exchange the information it holds with the competent authority.
- Article 81The Article allows the General Directorate of Financial Intelligence to exchange information with counterpart foreign bodies and conclude agreements with them, on condition that the foreign body undertakes to use the information only for the purpose requested.
الفصل التاسع: الرقابةArticles 82–83
- Article 82The Article sets out the powers of the supervisory authorities in collecting information, on-site and off-site examination, risk assessment, issuing instructions, international cooperation, integrity and suitability procedures, and keeping statistics.
- Article 83The Article allows the supervisory authority, on finding a violation, to impose one or more measures or sanctions, from a written warning and a fine of up to SAR 5 million to withdrawal of the license, and requires it to notify Financial Intelligence.Amended M/31
الفصل العاشر: أحكام ختاميةArticles 84–96
- Article 84The Article tasks the Standing Committee for Counter-Terrorism and Its Financing with coordinating, reviewing and updating national policies and assessing the risks of terrorism and its financing, and the President of State Security issues its internal rules.
- Article 85The Article obliges the relevant bodies to look after the rights of victims of the crimes under the Law and assist them, and to protect witnesses, sources, judges, investigators and defense lawyers where there are serious grounds that threaten them.
- Article 86The Article allows information disclosed by financial institutions, non-financial professions and non-profit organizations to be exchanged between the competent authorities, kept confidential and disclosed only as necessary for investigations and cases.
- Article 87The Article obliges everyone concerned with applying the Law to keep confidential the information they learn, and not to disclose without need the procedures of reporting, evidence-gathering, investigation and trial, or their data.
- Article 88The Article provides for establishing specialized centers to educate detainees and convicted persons for the crimes of the Law, correct their ideas and deepen their national belonging, with their operating rules set by decision of the President of State Security.
- Article 89The Article provides for the Presidency of State Security to establish reform and rehabilitation houses to look after detainees and convicted persons for the crimes of the Law and facilitate their integration into society, with the rules for organizing them issued by its President.
- Article 90The Article requires the President of State Security to issue regulations for security procedures, rights, duties, violations and their penalties, the classification of detainees and prisoners, and improving their social and health conditions.
- Article 91The Article provides that intent, knowledge or purpose in a terrorist crime or a terrorism financing crime is established from the circumstances and facts surrounding the commission of the act.
- Article 92The Article provides for applying the provisions of the Anti-Money Laundering Law on the obligations of financial institutions, designated non-financial professions and non-profit organizations where this Law has no provision.
- Article 93The Article provides for applying the provisions of the Law of Criminal Procedure where the Counter-Terrorism Crimes and Financing Law has no specific provision.
- Article 94The Article provides that this Law replaces the Law of Terrorism Crimes and Financing issued by Royal Decree No. (M/16) dated 24/2/1435 AH, and repeals any provisions that conflict with it.
- Article 95The Article assigns the Public Prosecution to prepare the Regulations jointly with the Ministries of Interior, Justice and Finance and the Presidency of State Security, to be issued by decision of the Council of Ministers within 180 days of the Law's issuance.
- Article 96The Article provides that the Counter-Terrorism Crimes and Financing Law takes effect from the day after the date of its publication in the Official Gazette.