Article 8 of the Saudi Employee Discipline Law
المادة 8 من نظام الانضباط الوظيفي
The article provides that the end of an employee's service does not prevent disciplinary proceedings except in death or total health incapacity, and the penalty is a fine of up to 3 times the last net salary.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
في غير حالتي الوفاة أو العجز الصحي الكلي؛ لا يمنع انتهاء خدمة الموظف من اتخاذ الإجراءات المنصوص عليها في النظام، أو الاستمرار فيها. وفي هذه الحالة يكون الجزاء غرامة لا تزيد على ما يعادل (ثلاثة) أمثال صافي آخر راتب شهري كان يتقاضاه.
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 8 explained in plain English
This article answers an important question: does the employee escape accountability if his service has ended? The answer is that the end of service does not prevent taking the proceedings provided for in the Law or continuing them.
The exception: The cases of death and total health incapacity; in them this rule does not apply.
Type of penalty: In the case of someone whose service has ended, the penalty is a fine not exceeding the equivalent of 3 times the last net monthly salary he was receiving. If his last net salary was 10,000, the fine may not exceed 30,000.
This is understood together with Article 7, which relieves the employee of the penalty if he committed the violation in executing his superior's order after alerting him in writing or by a means recognized by law, and it is followed by Article 9, which provides for forming a committee in each government body to consider violations and investigate them.
This article does not specify the body that conducts the proceedings after service ends, nor their details. Someone whose service has ended and who is then notified of disciplinary proceedings against him is advised to consult a lawyer specializing in administrative cases.
Practical example
Mohammed retired from his job in a government body in Riyadh, and then an administrative violation attributed to him during his work was discovered. His retirement does not prevent proceedings against him under Article 8, and if the violation is established the penalty is a fine not exceeding 3 times the last net monthly salary he was receiving.
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 8 of the Saudi Employee Discipline Law
Is an employee held accountable after his service has ended?
Yes. The end of service does not prevent taking or continuing the proceedings provided for in the Law, except in the cases of death or total health incapacity.
What is the penalty for an employee after his service has ended?
The penalty is a fine not exceeding the equivalent of 3 times the last net monthly salary he was receiving.
More articles on Disciplinary Penalties for Employees
- Article 5
The article provides that an employee proved to have committed a financial, administrative or conduct violation that breaches his duties is subject to the legal penalty, without prejudice to public-right or private-right claims.
كل موظف ثبت ارتكابه مخالفة مالية أو إدارية أو مسلكية مما يعد إخلالًا بواجب من واجباته الوظيفية، يطبق عليه الجزاء المنصوص عليه في النظام، وذلك دون إخلال بالحق في
- Article 6
The article sets the disciplinary penalties for an employee: a written warning, a salary deduction within limits, forfeiting an annual increment, not considering promotion for up to two years, and dismissal.
الجزاء الذي يجوز إيقاعه على الموظف هو: 1- الإنذار المكتوب. 2- الحسم من الراتب بما لا يتجاوز صافي راتب (ثلاثة) أشهر على ألَّا يتجاوز المحسوم شهريًّا (ثلث) صافي ا
- Article 7
The article relieves the employee of the penalty if it is proved that he committed the violation in executing his superior's order despite alerting his superior to it in writing or by any means recognized by law.
يعفى الموظف من الجزاء إذا ثبت أن ارتكابه المخالفة كان تنفيذًا لأمر صدر من رئيسه، بالرغم من تنبيه الموظف لرئيسه بالمخالفة كتابة أو بأي من الطرق المعتبرة نظامًا.
- 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 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 21
The article provides that disciplinary penalties imposed on an employee are erased two years after they are issued, unless another penalty is issued in that period, in which case the period runs from the last penalty, subject to other laws.
مع مراعاة ما تقضي به الأنظمة الأخرى، تمحا الجزاءات التأديبية الموقعة على الموظف بعد مضي سنتين من تاريخ صدورها، ما لم يصدر في حقه جزاء آخر خلال تلك المدة. وفي هذ
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.