Article 159 of the Saudi Officers Service Law

This article specifies the body that issues the regulations and instructions needed to implement the Officers Service Law, which is the Minister, who under Article 2 is the Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General.

The text contains two things:

• the regulations needed to implement the law.
• the instructions needed to implement it.

The officer in this context is, under Article 2, the holder of a military rank under the provisions of this law, so these regulations and instructions concern applying the provisions of the law to him.

Note that the article limits these regulations and instructions to what is "needed to implement this law", that is, they are tools for applying it. The article does not state the content of the regulations, their number or when they are issued.

This article is connected with Article 158, which allows the Minister to grant some of the powers vested in him under the law to the Deputy Minister and the Chief of Staff, and with Article 160, which gives the Council of Ministers the right to interpret the law. Issuing regulations for implementation is one thing, and interpreting the law is another which the text assigns to the Council of Ministers.

Someone who needs practical details not found in the law refers to the regulations and instructions the Minister issues.

To assess the position of a particular officer, it is advisable to consult a lawyer who specializes in administrative cases.