Khaberni - The Saudi Cabinet, in its session chaired by the Saudi Crown Prince, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, agreed to grant financial incentives to those who assist in uncovering violations of the penalties schedule for municipal violations, according to a number of controls.
The Saudi Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing, Majid Al-Hogail, stated that enabling the municipal sector by granting financial incentives to those who contribute to uncovering violations of the municipal penalties schedule enhances community participation in maintaining the cities and their beauty, supports the sustainability of the urban environment, and improves its quality, describing this step as motivating for community responsibility.
In the same context, Article 16 of the system of penalties for municipal violations allows the Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing—or his delegate—to grant a financial incentive reward of up to (25%) of the collected fine to those who assist in uncovering a violation, provided that they are not employees or workers in the municipality or engaged in violations monitoring, inspection, and regulatory performance duties; the minister sets the terms and conditions for this purpose, in agreement with the Minister of Finance.
The most notable clauses of the municipal violations penalty schedule include imposing sanctions on the violator amounting to a fine not exceeding 500,000 riyals, and up to one million riyals if the violation is a severe municipal violation. It is permissible to double the penalty in the case of repeat violations, with the fine increasing with the number of violators. The Prime Minister may also order an increase in the maximum fine stipulated after an agreement between the Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs and the Minister of Finance.
The schedule also closes the shop or establishment for a period not exceeding (two weeks) and allows doubling the penalty in case of repeat violations, as well as revoking the municipal license for the shop or establishment and prohibiting their activity for a period not to exceed (two years) if the violation is a severe municipal violation.
The imposition of the two penalties mentioned in these paragraphs is limited to the location where the violation occurred, while the executive decisions issued under the schedule determine the procedures resulting from the imposition of any of the two penalties mentioned in these paragraphs.
