Article 4 of the Saudi Employee Discipline Law
المادة 4 من نظام الانضباط الوظيفي
The article requires the employee to be investigated, confronted and heard in writing before any penalty, with a reasoned decision, and bars filling the dismissed employee's job before the decision becomes unchallengeable or the judgment final.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
1- لا يجوز إيقاع أي جزاء على الموظف إلَّا بعد التحقيق معه، ومواجهته بالمخالفة المنسوبة إليه، وسماع أقواله، وتحقيق دفاعه، وإثبات ذلك كتابة في محضر. ويكون القرار الصادر بإيقاع الجزاء مسببًا. وتحدد اللائحة كيفية التحقيق، وإجراءاته.
2- لا يجوز شغل وظيفة من صدر في شأنه حكم أو قرار بالفصل من الخدمة؛ بطريق التعيين، أو التعاقد، أو الترقية، أو النقل؛ إلَّا بعد تحصن القرار بفوات مواعيد الطعن عليه أو بعد اكتساب الحكم الصفة النهائية.
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 4 explained in plain English
This article sets two important safeguards for the employee:
First: no penalty without investigation. No penalty may be imposed on the employee except after completing the following steps:
- Investigating him.
- Confronting him with the violation attributed to him.
- Hearing his statements.
- Examining his defense.
- Recording all of that in writing in a record.
The penalty decision must be reasoned, that is, it must state the reasons on which it is based. How the investigation is conducted and its detailed procedures are set by the Implementing Regulations, and the article does not state them.
Second: protecting the job of a dismissed employee for the time being. If a judgment or decision is issued dismissing an employee from service, his job may not be filled by appointment, contracting, promotion or transfer until one of two things occurs:
- The decision becomes unchallengeable because the deadlines for challenging it have passed.
- Or the judgment acquires finality.
The article does not itself set the challenge deadlines.
These safeguards apply to employees subject to the Law under Article 3. If a penalty is imposed on an employee without investigation or without reasons, it is appropriate for him to consult a lawyer specializing in administrative cases.
Practical example
Khaled, an employee of a government department in Jeddah, received a decision deducting part of his salary because of an absence attributed to him, without being summoned for investigation or having his statements heard. Under Article 4, no penalty may be imposed before investigating him, confronting him with the violation, hearing his statements, examining his defense and recording it in a record, and the decision must be reasoned.
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 4 of the Saudi Employee Discipline Law
May a government employee be punished without investigation?
No. Article 4 bars imposing any penalty on the employee except after investigating him, confronting him with the violation, hearing his statements, examining his defense, and recording that in writing in a record.
Must the penalty decision state its reasons?
Yes. The article requires that the decision imposing the penalty be reasoned.
When may a dismissed employee's job be filled?
It may not be filled by appointment, contracting, promotion or transfer until the dismissal decision becomes unchallengeable because the challenge deadlines have passed, or the judgment acquires finality.
More articles on Administrative Investigation of an Employee
- Article 9
The article provides for forming, by decision of the Minister, one or more committees in each government body to consider and investigate employee violations, chaired by a legal specialist.
تشكل لجنة -أو أكثر بحسب الحال- بقرار من الوزير في كل جهة حكومية، تتولى النظر في المخالفات التي يرتكبها الموظفون والتحقيق فيها، وتحدد اللائحة عدد أعضاء كل من الل
- Article 10
The article regulates referring the employee to the committee and the Minister's approval of its recommendations, considering dismissal in a special committee, proportionality and non-duplication of penalties, and the Minister's right to refer to the Authority.
مع مراعاة ما نصت عليه كلٌّ من المادتين (الحادية عشرة) و(الثانية عشرة) من النظام: 1- إذا ظهر للجهة ارتكاب موظف لمخالفة، فيحال إلى اللجنة للتحقيق معه للنظر في إيق
- Article 14
The article allows the body employing an employee finally sentenced to a criminal penalty that does not require dismissal by operation of law to refer him to the committee if it considers his act breaches his job duties.
إذا صدر على الموظف حكم قضائي نهائي في دعوى جزائية بعقوبة غير موجبة للفصل بقوة النظام؛ فلجهة عمله إذا رأت أن ارتكابه للفعل يمثل إخلالًا بواجبات وظيفته، أن تحيل ا
- Article 15
The article allows the Authority, in the cases it considers, to close the investigation or propose a penalty specifying the acts attributed, and to refer the file to the employee's body to issue the penalty decision as it sees fit.
للهيئة -في الحالات التي تنظرها- أن تحفظ التحقيق، أو أن تقترح الجزاء المناسب على الموظف، مع بيان الأفعال المنسوبة إليه على وجه التحديد، وتحيل المعاملة إلى جهته ا
- Article 16
The article requires the government body to give the Ministry of Human Resources, the Authority, the General Court of Audit and the employee a copy of the penalty decision, with the Regulations setting the procedures.
تزود الجهة الحكومية المختصة وزارة الموارد البشرية والتنمية الاجتماعية، والهيئة، والديوان العام للمحاسبة، والموظف صاحب الشأن؛ بصورة من القرار الصادر عنها بإيقاع
- Article 19
The article suspends administrative proceedings on the violation and violations connected with it if the employee is referred to criminal investigation or trial over it, until those proceedings end.
في الأحوال التي يتقرر فيها إحالة الموظف إلى التحقيق، أو المحاكمة جنائيًّا، في مخالفة بوشرت فيها إجراءات إدارية أو في مخالفات مرتبطة بها؛ توقف الإجراءات الإدارية
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.