Article 21 of the Saudi Standards and Quality Law

This article specifies the body that imposes penalties under the Standards and Quality Law, and the route for objecting to its decisions.

1. Forming the committee:

• One or more committees are formed by decision of the Authority's board of directors.
• The committee consists of five members.
• Among them are at least three legal advisers, one of whom is chairman of the committee.

2. The committee's competence: applying the penalties provided in Article 22, which are suspending use of the quality mark certificate or the other marks for a period not exceeding one year, or cancelling them, or a fine not exceeding SAR 1 million, with the possibility of publishing a summary of the decision.

3. Decisions and grievance:

• The committee issues its decisions under the rules and procedures set by the regulations.
• A person against whom a decision is issued may file a grievance against it before the Administrative Court within 60 days of the date of being notified of the decision.

4. Rewards: the rewards of the committee members are set by decision of the Board.

Practical effect: the period runs from the date of notification of the decision, not from the date of its issuance. Someone against whom a decision is issued should take this period seriously, because the text makes the grievance before the Administrative Court within it.

The separation of roles is clear: under this article the committee applies the penalties, and the Administrative Court hears the grievance. Someone against whom a decision is issued is advised to consult a lawyer who specializes in administrative cases (Board of Grievances).