{"id":145018,"date":"2025-07-06T13:36:10","date_gmt":"2025-07-06T10:36:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salamahlaw.com\/?p=145018"},"modified":"2025-07-06T13:37:45","modified_gmt":"2025-07-06T10:37:45","slug":"what-is-the-public-sector-discipline-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salamahlaw.com\/en\/what-is-the-public-sector-discipline-law\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the Public Sector Discipline Law?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Public Sector Discipline Law, issued by Royal Decree No. (M\/18) on 8\/2\/1443 AH, was enacted to protect public service, ensure the smooth operation of public entities, and promote employee performance. It applies to all government employees, except those whose disciplinary procedures are governed by separate systems; such employees are subject to those specific systems within the limits of their provisions.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this article, Salamah Law Firm will break down the key elements of the law for you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: left;\"><b>Overview of the Public Sector Discipline Law:<\/b><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The law sets out penalties for financial, administrative, and behavioral violations committed by public employees that breach their duties. However, no penalty may be imposed unless the employee is first investigated, confronted with the alleged violation, allowed to present a defense, and this is documented in an official report. The disciplinary decision must be fully reasoned.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><b>According to Article 6<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the possible disciplinary actions include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A written warning<\/span>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Salary deduction, not exceeding three months&#8217; net salary, and not more than one-third of the monthly net salary per month<\/span>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Withholding one annual raise<\/span>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Deferring promotion for up to two years from the eligibility date<\/span>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dismissal from service<\/span>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><b>Article 9<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> mandates the formation of one or more committees, as appropriate, by decision of the relevant minister or head of an independent entity in each government agency, to investigate and consider violations committed by employees.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><b>Articles 12, 13, and 14<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> clarify when a violation must be referred to the Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The Authority must inform both the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development and the relevant government entity (if the individual is still employed) of any final judgment. If an employee is convicted in a criminal case but the sentence does not mandate dismissal by law, the employer may still refer the matter to the disciplinary committee if the offense undermines job responsibilities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><b>Article 20<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> outlines circumstances in which violations or disciplinary actions are dropped:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Death of the employee<\/span>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Total medical disability confirmed by a report from the General Medical Authority<\/span>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Two years passing since the violation was discovered with no investigation or legal action taken, or since the last legal step was taken.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> If multiple employees are involved and the statute of limitations is interrupted for one, it is considered interrupted for all.<\/span>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><strong>Read Also : <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salamahlaw.com\/en\/electronic-signatures-under-saudi-law\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Electronic Signatures Under Saudi Law<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: left;\"><b>Executive Regulations of the Public Sector Discipline Law:<\/b><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The executive regulations detail procedures for administrative investigations from Articles 2 to 8. They explain the responsibilities of the investigative committee, its formation, and the decisions it is authorized to issue.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: left;\"><b>The Civil Service Disciplinary Law:<\/b><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Issued by Royal Decree No. (M\/7) on 1\/12\/1391 AH, this earlier law included provisions governing the state\u2019s administrative system. However, it lacked a clearly defined purpose and was missing detailed articles on disciplinary violations. To address these gaps, the Public Sector Discipline Law and its executive regulations were introduced.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><b>Article 24<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of the new law explicitly states:<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;This law repeals Articles (31) to (46) and Article (48) of the Civil Service Disciplinary Law issued by Royal Decree No. (M\/7) dated 1\/2\/1391 AH, as well as any other provisions that conflict with it.&#8221;<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Therefore, in any case of conflict between the two laws, the provisions of the Public Sector Discipline Law shall prevail.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Public Sector Discipline Law is one of the most essential legal frameworks ensuring the efficiency of Saudi Arabia\u2019s administrative system. It protects public service, maintains orderly public sector operations, and promotes employee accountability.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At <\/span><b>Salamah Law Firm<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, we offer specialized legal consultations related to this law. Our team is highly experienced in filing and handling administrative claims, understanding the precise procedures involved, and representing clients before the Board of Grievances across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><strong>Read More : <a href=\"https:\/\/www.salamahlaw.com\/en\/investment-contract-drafting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Investment Contract Drafting<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Public Sector Discipline Law, issued by Royal Decree No. (M\/18) on 8\/2\/1443 AH, was enacted to protect public service, ensure the smooth operation of public entities, and promote employee performance. It applies to all government employees, except those whose disciplinary procedures are governed by separate systems; such employees are subject to those specific systems&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":145019,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-145018","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.salamahlaw.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145018","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.salamahlaw.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.salamahlaw.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.salamahlaw.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/34"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.salamahlaw.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=145018"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.salamahlaw.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145018\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":145023,"href":"https:\/\/www.salamahlaw.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145018\/revisions\/145023"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.salamahlaw.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/145019"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.salamahlaw.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=145018"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.salamahlaw.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=145018"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.salamahlaw.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=145018"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}