Article 48 of the Saudi Weapons and Ammunition Law
المادة 48 من نظام الأسلحة والذخائر
The article provides that anyone proven to have participated in committing any offense under the Weapons and Ammunition Law is punished with the penalty set for the offense itself.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يعاقب بالعقوبة المقررة على المخالفة نفسها كل من تثبت مشاركته في ارتكاب أي مخالفة من المخالفات الواردة في هذا النظام.
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 48 explained in plain English
This article lays down a general rule applying to all offenses under the Law, namely that an accomplice is punished with the same penalty set for the offense.
If a person's participation in committing any offense in the Law is proven, he is not treated with a lighter penalty merely because he was not the principal perpetrator; rather, the penalty set for the offense itself applies to him. The penalty is still assessed within the limits the text sets for each offense, since most penalty articles in the Law set a maximum.
For the article to apply, participation must be proven. The article does not define the forms of participation, so it does not say whether they include incitement, agreement or assistance, and it merely uses the phrase "participation in committing" the offense.
It follows Article 47, which punishes anyone who sells or gives away within the Kingdom weapons permitted to transit with the penalties for smugglers. It is followed by Article 49, which applies the penalties of the Law, other than imprisonment, to violating institutions, companies and establishments.
Anyone accused of participating in an offense under this Law needs to consult a lawyer specializing in criminal cases.
Practical example
Two people agreed to bring pistols into the Kingdom to sell them. One carried out the smuggling and the other arranged the sale. If the second's participation in the offense is proven, he is punished with the same penalty set for smuggling individual weapons for trade.
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 48 of the Saudi Weapons and Ammunition Law
Is an accomplice in a weapons offense punished with the same penalty as the perpetrator?
Yes, anyone proven to have participated in committing any offense under the Law is punished with the penalty set for the offense itself.
Does the article apply to all offenses?
Yes, the text is general and covers any offense in this Law.
More articles on Weapon Confiscation and Trial Procedures
- Article 49
The article applies the penalties of the Weapons and Ammunition Law, except imprisonment, to institutions, companies and any other establishment proven to have violated its provisions.
تطبق العقوبات - عدا السجن - الواردة في هذا النظام على المؤسسات أو الشركات أو أي منشأة أخرى يثبت مخالفتها لما ورد به من أحكام.
- Article 50Amended (1437 AH)
The article provides for confiscation of seized weapons, ammunition and equipment by court judgment, and of the means of transport in smuggling, and sets the fate of seized items when proceedings cannot be brought or lapse.
1- إضافة إلى العقوبات المنصوص عليها في هذا النظام، يصادر بحكم قضائي جميع ما يضبط من أسلحة وذخائر ومعدات متعلقة بها. وإذا كانت المخالفة تهريباً فتصادر وسيلة النق
- Article 51
The article requires aggravated penalties under Articles 34, 35 and 36 where the violator is an employee of the bodies concerned with applying the Weapons and Ammunition Law.
يراعى تشديد العقوبات المقررة في المواد (الرابعة والثلاثين، والخامسة والثلاثين، والسادسة والثلاثين) من هذا النظام إذا كان مرتكب المخالفة أحد موظفي الجهات ذات الع
- Article 52
The article assigns investigation of offenses under the Weapons and Ammunition Law to the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution.
تتولى هيئة التحقيق والادعاء العام التحقيق في مخالفات أحكام هذا النظام.
- Article 53Amended (1437 AH)
The article creates a three-member committee by decision of the Minister to consider the penalties in Articles 43 (except paragraph (c)), 44, 45 and 46, and permits a complaint against its decisions before the administrative court within sixty days.
تكوّن – بقرار من الوزير – لجنة من ثلاثة أعضاء يكون من بينهم واحد من المؤهلين في العلوم الشرعية أو النظامية للنظر في توقيع العقوبات المنصوص عليها في المواد (الثا
- Article 54
The article makes the Board of Grievances competent to consider cases of violators of the Weapons and Ammunition Law and to impose its penalties, without prejudice to the committee's jurisdiction under Article 53.
مع عدم الإخلال بما تقضي به المادة (الثالثة والخمسون) من هذا النظام، يختص ديوان المظالم بالنظر في قضايا المخالفين لأحكام هذا النظام، وتوقيع العقوبات الواردة فيه.
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.