RIYADH – The penal code for forgery crimes will go into effect next month, a section of the Arabic press reported on Saturday. The code, which has recently been approved by a royal decree, lays down various penalties and fines for those who engage in any form of forgery. Anyone who forges a government stamp or that of higher authorities will face three to 10 years in prison and a fine not exceeding a million riyal, according to the code. Anyone who counterfeits the stamp of a public agency will face between one and seven years in prison in addition to a fine not exceeding SR700,000. If the stamp forged belongs to a non-government agency, the prison sentence won't exceed three years and the fine SR300,000, or both. Anyone who forges a post stamp or a stamp that is used for revenue collection will be imprisoned for a maximum five years and fined a maximum of SR500,000. The charged will have to return all the money taken illegally to the state's treasury. Anyone who reuses a stamp for which fees have been collected will face three-month imprisonment and a fine not exceeding SR30,000, or both. The charged will have to return all the money taken illegally to the state's treasury. The forgery of a letter and claims that it has been stamped by the King, Crown Prince, or any senior officials in their bureaus carries an imprisonment between three and 10 years and a fine not exceeding a million. Forging treasury securities or related documents issued by the public treasury is punishable by two to seven years imprisonment and a fine not exceeding a million. The charged will have to return all the money taken illegally to the state's treasury. Any official who issues a fake document will face between one and seven years in prison and a fine not exceeding SR700,000. Counterfeiting commercial documents, insurance policies, and bank documents is punishable by one to five years in prison and a fine not exceeding SR400,000. Forging or issuing fake medical reports intentionally is punishable by a year in prison and a fine not exceeding SR100,000 or both. Any official who forges examinations or scores will face not more than six months in prison and a fine not exceeding SR60,000, or both. Anyone who forges a signature in work attendance sheets will face a prison sentence not exceeding three months and a fine not exceeding SR30,000. The code stressed that accomplices and those who aid and abet in similar forgery crimes will face the same penalty for that crime.
