Article 14 of the Saudi Officers Service Law

المادة 14 من نظام خدمة الضباط · الفصل الثاني: ملفات الضباط وتقارير الكفاءة

The article requires the officer to be informed of the content of an unsatisfactory report and to sign that he has seen it, gives him the right to object to the Officers Committee through his superior within two weeks, and makes the Committee's recommendations final once ratified.

Official text (Arabic)

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

يبلغ الضابط من قبل قائده الذي كتب عنه تقريراً غير مرض بمضمون ذلك التقرير ويوقع بالاطلاع وله الحق في تقديم اعتراضه على كل أو بعض ما ورد بالتقرير إلى لجنة الضباط عن طريق مرجعه خلال أسبوعين من تاريخ إبلاغه مضمون التقرير.

وتفصل اللجنة في تظلمه وتكون توصياتها نهائية بعد تصديقها وفقاً لأحكام هذا النظَام.

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 14 explained in plain English

This article sets an important safeguard for the officer in the face of an unsatisfactory report, and includes:

First: notification. The officer is informed by his commander who wrote the report on him of the content of that report, and the officer signs to acknowledge having seen it. The signature here is evidence of knowledge of the content.

Second: objection. The officer has the right to submit his objection:

to all or part of what is in the report.
to the Officers Committee.
through his superior authority.
within two weeks of the date he was informed of the content of the report.

Third: decision. The Committee decides his grievance, and its recommendations are final once ratified in accordance with the provisions of the Law.

The practical effect is that the two-week period is decisive; it runs from the date of notification, so the officer should not be late in preparing his objection. The objection is also submitted through the superior authority, not directly to the Committee.

Note that this right is tied to the unsatisfactory report, and that finality is achieved after ratification of the Committee's recommendations. Anyone who has received an unsatisfactory report and wants to prepare an objection may consult a lawyer specializing in administrative cases and military service matters.

Practical example

The commander informed Captain Khalid that his annual report was unsatisfactory, and he signed to acknowledge it the same day. Khalid considers some of what is in it inaccurate, so he submits his objection to those points to the Officers Committee through his superior authority within two weeks of the date he was informed.

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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