Article 39 of the Saudi Environment Law

This Article sets out who imposes penalties for environmental violations and how they are objected to, without prejudice to Article 41, which gives the competent court jurisdiction over the violations referred to in Article 40.

1- The competent authority: It imposes fines of up to SAR 100,000, in accordance with the violation classification tables that the Minister issues under paragraph 2 of Article 38.

2- Violation committees: They are competent to consider violations of the Law and regulations, impose the penalties in Article 38, and consider objections by interested parties to fines imposed by the competent authority. Their formation is as follows:

• Each committee is formed by decision of the Minister for 3 years, renewable.
• It has no fewer than three members.
• Its chair is a specialist in Sharia or law.
• It issues its decisions by majority and they must be reasoned.
• Decisions that include a fine exceeding SAR 5,000,000 or cancellation of the license or permit are approved by the Minister or the chairman of the board of directors of the competent center, as the case may be.

3- The regulations set the committees' working rules and procedures and their members' remuneration.

4- Judicial objection: Committee decisions may be challenged before the Administrative Court.

So the sequence is: a fine from the competent authority is objected to before the committee, then the committee's decision is challenged before the Administrative Court. The Article does not set a time limit for objection; this is a matter for the regulations and relevant laws. If you wish to object, you may wish to consult a lawyer who specializes in administrative matters and environmental law.