Article 21 of the Saudi Social Security Law
المادة 21 من نظام الضمان الاجتماعي · الباب الخامس: العقوبات
The article makes the Public Prosecution the body competent to investigate and prosecute crimes under the Social Security Law before the competent court.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
تتولى النيابة العامة التحقيق والادعاء في الجرائم الواردة في هذا النظام أمام المحكمة المختصة.
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 21 explained in plain English
This article specifies the body that investigates and prosecutes the crimes in the Social Security Law, which is the Public Prosecution, and its prosecution is before the competent court.
The crimes meant are those set out in Article 20:
- A breadwinner who has been paid a pension and has not spent it on his dependents among the family members, punished by a fine of no more than SAR 5,000 or imprisonment for no more than 3 months, or both.
- A person who obtains money from social security without right, punished by a fine of no more than SAR 10,000 or imprisonment for no more than one year, or both, with repayment of the money.
The sequence of procedures is clear from the two articles together: the Ministry receives reports or notifies the competent law enforcement authority as Article 20 provides, then the Public Prosecution investigates the incident, and if it sees grounds for accusation it brings the case before the competent court, and the court is the one that rules on the penalty.
The Ministry is thus not the one that imposes these penalties; its role is to report and refer. The article did not specify the name of the competent court, but described it only as "the competent court".
Anyone under investigation for one of these crimes would do well to consult a lawyer who specializes in criminal cases.
Practical example
The Ministry discovered that a person in Riyadh obtained the social security pension with incorrect data, so it notified the competent law enforcement authority. The Public Prosecution investigates him, and then brings the accusation against him before the competent court, which decides the case.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
How we write and review contentCriminal Law lawyers: ask a specialist about your case
Describe your situation briefly and we'll suggest a lawyer who specialises in this law
Criminal Law lawyers
Lawyers who handle this kind of case
Ibrahim Al Salem Law Firm
Active contributor
Dr. Ali Al-Rubaie Law Office and Ittihad Al-Asr Legal Company
Frequently asked questions about Article 21 of the Saudi Social Security Law
Who investigates social security violations?
The Public Prosecution investigates and prosecutes the crimes in the Law.
Is the Ministry the one that punishes in social security crimes?
No. The Ministry receives reports and notifies the law enforcement authority, and the Public Prosecution investigates and prosecutes before the competent court.
Which court hears social security crimes?
The article provides for the competent court without naming it.
More articles on Social Security Penalties
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.