Article 14 of the Saudi Employee Discipline Law

This article addresses the relationship between a criminal judgment and disciplinary accountability. It applies when the following conditions are met:

1. A final court judgment is issued against the employee.
2. The judgment is in a criminal case.
3. The penalty is one that does not require dismissal by operation of law, that is, it does not automatically result in dismissal.

If these conditions are met, the body employing the employee may, if it considers that his committing the act amounts to a breach of his job duties, refer him to the committee for considering violations to complete the necessary procedures regarding him.

Note that the referral is optional and not mandatory, and is conditional on the body's assessment that the act breaches job duties. A criminal judgment alone does not necessarily mean a disciplinary penalty, and the referral does not mean a penalty has been issued; rather, the proceedings before the committee begin with it. This article does not address the consequences of penalties that require dismissal by operation of law.

This article comes after Article 13, which requires the Authority to give the Ministry of Human Resources and the employee's body a copy of the final judgment issued against him, and before Article 15, which sets out the Authority's power to close the investigation or propose a penalty.

Anyone against whom a criminal judgment has been issued who fears its effect on his job is advised to consult a lawyer specializing in administrative cases.