Article 22 of the Saudi Ministers Trial Law

المادة 22 من نظام محاكمة الوزراء

The article prohibits punishing the accused for an act not included in his referral decision, or sentencing him to anything other than the penalties and punishments in the Ministers Trial Law.

Official text (Arabic)

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

لا يجوز معاقبة المتهم عن واقعة لم ترد في قرار إحالته إلى المحاكمة ولا الحكم عليه بغير الجزاءات الواردة في هذا النظام، أو بغير العقوبات الواردة فيه.

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 22 explained in plain English

This article establishes two basic guarantees for the accused:

Keeping to the referral decision: the accused may not be punished for an act not included in his referral decision. The referral decision defines the scope of the case, and the trial panel does not go beyond it to other acts.
Keeping to the Law's penalties: the accused may not be sentenced to anything other than the penalties and punishments in the Ministers Trial Law.

The first guarantee means that the referral decision draws the limits of what the accused is tried for, so he is not punished for an act not attributed to him in it. The second means that the panel has no power to impose a penalty from outside the Law.

It is preceded by Article 21, which provides that the panel's decision is issued by majority vote and that its meetings are valid only with all members present. It is followed by Article 23, which regulates the retrial when a person convicted in absentia appears or is arrested, within thirty days of the appearance or arrest.

This is a general explanation of the text, not an opinion on any particular case. Anyone who needs an assessment of a specific situation should consult a lawyer specializing in criminal and administrative cases.

Practical example

A minister is referred to trial on a charge of accepting a benefit in return for an official act. During the sessions, suspicion arises about another act not mentioned in the referral decision. Under Article 22, the trial panel may not punish him for this other act, because it was not included in the referral decision.

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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