Article 7 of the Saudi Narcotics Law Implementing Regulations
المادة 7 من اللائحة التنفيذية لنظام مكافحة المخدرات والمؤثرات العقلية
The article makes the Mutual Legal Assistance Committee at the Ministry of Interior the body authorized to consider assistance requests, and requires the 1988 United Nations Convention to be observed in these requests.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
1- الجهة المخولة بالنظر في طلبات المساعدة هي: لجنة المساعدة القانونية المتبادلة في وزارة الداخلية، وتحال إليها جميع طلبات المساعدة القانونية.
2- يراعى في طلبات المساعدة وشكلها ومحتوياتها والاستجابة لها أو رفضها أو تأجيلها وشروط استخدامها ما نصت عليه اتفاقية الأمم المتحدة لمكافحة الاتجار غير المشروع بالمخدرات والمؤثرات العقلية لعام 1988م ولائحتها التنفيذية .
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 7 explained in plain English
This article regulates legal assistance requests relating to narcotics and psychotropic substances cases, and gives them a single body and an international reference.
- Authorized body: the Mutual Legal Assistance Committee at the Ministry of Interior, to which all legal assistance requests are referred.
- Reference: in assistance requests, as to their form and contents, responding to them, refusing or postponing them, and the conditions for using them, what is provided in the 1988 United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances and its implementing regulations is observed.
In practical terms, no legal assistance request in this field is handled piecemeal among bodies; it is referred to the Committee mentioned, and its validity and the way it is dealt with are measured against the provisions of the Convention. The article does not set out the details of the Convention's provisions; it refers to them without reproducing them.
The article is among the Regulations' articles on international cooperation, such as Articles 4 and 6, which identify the bodies for requesting assistance and for prosecution outside the Kingdom. Anyone affected by a legal assistance request in a case can consult a lawyer specialized in criminal or international matters.
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 7 of the Saudi Narcotics Law Implementing Regulations
Who considers legal assistance requests in narcotics cases?
The Mutual Legal Assistance Committee at the Ministry of Interior, to which all such requests are referred.
What is the reference for accepting or refusing an assistance request?
What is provided in the 1988 United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances and its implementing regulations.
More articles on International Cooperation and Controlled Delivery
- Article 4
The article identifies the two bodies competent to request assistance from other states in seizing smuggling of, or illicit trafficking in, narcotics on a ship on the high seas.
السلطات المختصة في طلب مساعدة الدول الأخرى في ضبط التهريب أو الاتجار غير المشروع في المخدرات أو المؤثرات العقلية على سفينة في أعالي البحار هي: 1- المديرية العام
- Article 5
The article identifies the bodies competent to prosecute and punish a Saudi citizen who commits an offense under Article 3 of the Law outside the Kingdom, and the conditions for initiating the case.
1- السلطات المختصة في ملاحقة ومعاقبة أي مواطن سعودي أقدم خارج المملكة على ارتكاب جريمة من الجرائم المنصوص عليها في المادة (الثالثة) من نظام مكافحة المخدرات والم
- Article 6
The article identifies the two bodies competent to prosecute those accused of participating in Article 3 offenses outside the Kingdom, and requires international agreements to be observed in the procedures of Article 8 of the Law.
1- السلطات المختصة في ملاحقة الأشخاص المتهمين بالاشتراك في ارتكاب إحدى الجرائم المنصوص عليها في المادة (الثالثة) من نظام مكافحة المخدرات والمؤثرات العقلية خارج
- Article 8
The article identifies the two bodies authorized to allow narcotics to enter, pass through or leave the Kingdom, and details controlled delivery rules in three cases and the Minister of Interior's approval.
1- السلطات المختصة بالسماح بإدخال أو مرور المواد المخدرة أو المؤثرات العقلية أو مواد حلت محلها عبر إقليم المملكة أو الخروج منه هي: المديرية العامة لمكافحة المخد
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.