Article 4 of the Saudi Protection of Whistleblowers, Witnesses, Experts and Victims Law
المادة 4 من نظام حماية المبلغين والشهود والخبراء والضحايا
Establishes in the Public Prosecution a special program for protecting whistleblowers, witnesses, experts and victims, and refers its structure, administration, tasks and funding mechanism to the Regulations.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يُنشأ وفق أحكام النظام برنامج خاص في النيابة العامة يسمى "برنامج حماية المبلِّغين والشهود والخبراء والضحايا"، وتحدد اللائحة الهيكل التنظيمي للبرنامج وإدارته ومهماته والاختصاصات المنوطة به، وآلية الصرف عليه
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 4 explained in plain English
This article establishes the central body of the Law: the "Program for Protecting Whistleblowers, Witnesses, Experts and Victims," making it a special program in the Public Prosecution. This program is what is meant by "the program" wherever it appears in the Law, as Article 1 provides.
The article does not detail how the program works, but refers to the Implementing Regulations to specify the following:
- The program's organizational structure.
- Its administration.
- Its tasks and the competences assigned to it.
- The mechanism for spending on it.
The program's administrative and financial details therefore cannot be learned from this article alone, but from the Regulations.
The importance of the program appears in the surrounding articles: Article 3 allows the court to use the program administration to enforce the measures it considers appropriate to protect the whistleblower, witness, expert or victim during litigation, and Article 5 gives the program administration, by its decision and under the provisions of the Law, the power to accept whistleblowers, witnesses, experts and victims into the program and to determine the type and duration of the protection provided to them.
Under the definition in Article 1, a "person covered by protection" is one for whom this program's administration decides to provide any type of protection.
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 4 of the Saudi Protection of Whistleblowers, Witnesses, Experts and Victims Law
Where is the witness protection program in Saudi Arabia?
Under the provisions of the Law, the program is established as a special program in the Public Prosecution.
Who determines how the whistleblower protection program works?
The Implementing Regulations specify the program's organizational structure, administration, tasks and the competences assigned to it, and the mechanism for spending on it.
More articles on Whistleblower and Witness Protection Program
- Article 1
Defines the Law's key terms, including whistleblower, witness, expert, victim, protection, covered crimes, the program and the person covered by protection.
يقصد بالألفاظ والعبارات الآتية -أينما وردت في هذا النظام- المعاني الموضحة أمام كل منها: النظام: نظام حماية المبلِّغين والشهود والخبراء والضحايا. اللائحة: اللائح
- Article 5
Gives the program administration, by its decision and under the Law, the power to accept whistleblowers, witnesses, experts and victims into the program and to determine the type and duration of protection.
لإدارة البرنامج بقرار منها -وفقاً لأحكام النظام- صلاحية قبول المبلِّغين والشهود والخبراء والضحايا في البرنامج وتحديد نوع الحماية المقدم لهم ومدته.
- Article 6
Allows the Public Prosecutor, on the program administration's recommendation and on reciprocity, to approve foreign authorities' requests to protect a whistleblower, witness, expert or victim in the Kingdom.
للنائب العام -بناء على توصية من إدارة البرنامج ووفقاً لمبدأ المعاملة بالمثل- الموافقة على طلبات السلطات الأجنبية المختصة التي تتلقاها اللجنة الدائمة لطلبات المس
- Article 8
The article allows the Attorney General to provide protection without consent, for no more than 30 days and extendable, to a person believed to face imminent danger, and to delegate some powers.
يجوز للنائب العام في حال توفر ما يبعث على الاعتقاد بإمكان تعرّض المبلِّغ أو الشاهد أو الخبير أو الضحية لخطر وشيك، توفير الحماية له دون موافقته، لمدة لا تزيد على
- Article 12
The article establishes a Security Department in each of the Ministry of Interior and the Presidency of State Security to apply protection or security escort for protected persons, leaving its tasks to the Implementing Regulations.
تنشأ وفق أحكام النظام إدارة أمنية في كل من: (وزارة الداخلية، ورئاسة أمن الدولة) يوكل إليها تطبيق الحماية أو المرافقة الأمنية للمشمولين بالحماية كلٌ فيما يخصه، و
- Article 13
The article requires the program administration, in coordination with relevant bodies, to protect the protected person from injury and ensure their health, safety and social adaptation, while respecting their rights and freedoms.
على إدارة البرنامج -بالتنسيق مع الجهات المعنية- اتخاذ الإجراءات اللازمة لوقاية المشمول بالحماية من الإصابة الجسدية، وضمان صحته وسلامته وتكيّفه الاجتماعي، طوال ف
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.