Article 12 of the Saudi Penal Law on Forgery Crimes

المادة 12 من النظام الجزائي لجرائم التزوير · الفصل الرابع تزوير المحررات أولاً: الصور العادية

The article punishes a public employee who forges a document he is competent to draw up with imprisonment of one to 7 years and a fine of up to SAR 700,000.

Official text (Arabic)

This article has not been amended since the law was issued.

كل موظفٍ عامٍّ زوّر محرراً مما يختص بتحريره، يعاقب بالسجن من سنة إلى سبع سنوات وبغرامة لا تزيد على سبعمائة ألف ريال.

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 12 explained in plain English

This article deals with a special form of forgery: forgery committed by a public employee in a document he is competent to draw up; that is, the employee exploits the authority his position gave him to issue the document, and alters the truth in it.

Applying the article requires two things:

The offender must be a public employee.
The forged document must be one that he is competent to draw up.

The penalty is imprisonment of one to 7 years and a fine of up to SAR 700,000; the text combines the two without the option of imposing only one of them.

The elements of forgery in Article 1 must also be present: an alteration of the truth by one of the methods provided for in the law, in bad faith, with intent to use, and capable of causing material, moral or social harm. Under the same article, a document includes what is kept in information technology means, such as electronic records and systems.

This article comes after Article 11 on forging public treasury bonds (imprisonment of 2 to 7 years and a fine of up to SAR 1,000,000), and before Article 13 on forging commercial, financial and bank papers and insurance policies (imprisonment of one to 5 years and a fine of up to SAR 400,000).

Anyone facing an accusation of this offense is advised to consult a lawyer who specializes in criminal cases.

Practical example

An employee of a government entity who is responsible for issuing experience certificates issued a certificate for a relative stating that he had worked at the entity for three years, although he had not. This is forgery by a public employee in a document he is competent to draw up, and its penalty is imprisonment of one to 7 years and a fine of up to SAR 700,000.

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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