Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 08, 2025

Saudis pass draft law to protect whistleblowers, witnesses of crime

Saudis pass draft law to protect whistleblowers, witnesses of crime

Law aims to provide necessary protection to witnesses, victims, whistleblowers, experts
The Saudi Shura (Consultative) Council approved on Monday a draft bill on protecting witnesses, victims and whistleblowers in court cases, local media reported.

In its virtual meeting, the council’s Committee on Human Rights and Oversight submitted its report on the bill on the protection of witnesses and other secret sources in criminal cases.

The milestone law is aimed at providing security to individuals who may come under threat for giving evidence in court cases.

The law gives powers to judicial authorities to provide the necessary protection to witnesses, victims, whistleblowers, experts and members of their families from any threat including assault, revenge, intimidation and others.

In recent years, Saudi Arabia introduced a royal decree to protect whistleblowers due to rising corruption complaints.

The role of whistleblowers in assisting the Saudi government to curb illegal, unethical or dangerous activities has helped the private and government entities tremendously. It has also helped to achieve a great success in the recovery of looted money, which has boosted the economy of Saudi Arabia, said lawyer Nasreen Alissa.

The National Anti-Corruption Commission (Nazaha) is taking extra measures in protecting whistleblowers. In 2018, the number of complaints Nazaha received increased to 15,591 from 10,402 in 2017 and 6,482 in 2016. Financial and administrative corruption cases topped the list of complaints with 74.3 per cent of registered cases.

King Salman has also ordered the provision of adequate protection to every employee who submits a complaint against financial and administrative corruption practices to ensure that they are not exposed to any persecution later on.

Alissa added whistleblowers play an essential role in not only exposing corruption but also other wrongdoing that threatens people, entities, the environment, public health, safety, financial integrity and the rule of law. However, whistleblowers often put themselves at high personal risk. They may be fired, sued, threatened and, in extreme cases, assaulted.

She added Saudis are making their way to build a transparent culture that encourages reporting, while protecting confidentiality, which will help foster trust.

The Saudi government is also awarding citizens for reporting cases of corruption, as Saudi leadership is determined and resolute in combating corruption in all its forms, all in line with the 2030 vision, which has made transparency, integrity and the fight against corruption its top priorities, Alissa said.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
×