Criminal & Cybercrime
Criminal and cybercrime: rights of the accused on arrest, online extortion, identity theft, and objecting to fines — general information, not advice.
General information on criminal procedure and cybercrime: the rights of the accused during arrest and investigation, and dealing with online extortion, identity theft, and financial fraud.
These pages are general information, not legal advice; for any live incident, contacting the official authorities or a licensed lawyer is the right step.
Tools for this section
- Rights of the Accused and Arrest Procedure Under Saudi LawWhat the Law of Criminal Procedure provides: no arrest or detention except as prescribed (Art. 2), the right to counsel (4), notification of the grounds for arrest (36 and 116), the definition of flagrante delicto (30), and the two 24-hour periods (33 and 34).
- Cyber-Extortion, Online Defamation, and Account Hacking: Penalty Ranges and Reporting ChannelsThe Saudi Anti-Cyber Crime Law: extortion and defamation in Article 3, data leakage in Article 5, content affecting public order in Article 6, aggravation in Article 8, exemption for reporting first in Article 11, and the official reporting channels.
- Identity Theft and Financial Fraud Under Saudi LawIdentity theft and financial fraud: Article 4 of the Anti-Cyber Crime Law, Articles 1 and 2 of the Anti-Financial Fraud and Breach of Trust Law, the doubling of penalties under Article 5, the harsher-penalty rule in Article 9, and reporting via Absher.
Common questions in this section
Can I be arrested at any time and without a reason?
No. Article 2 of the Law of Criminal Procedure provides that no person may be arrested, searched, detained or imprisoned except in the cases prescribed by law, and that detention or imprisonment may only be in the places designated for each and for the period determined by the competent authority.
Read the full guideIs cyber-extortion a defined offence under Saudi law?
Yes. Article 3 of the Anti-Cyber Crime Law imposes imprisonment of up to one year and a fine of up to SAR 500,000, or either penalty, for unlawfully accessing a system to threaten or extort a person into an act or omission — even where that act or omission would itself be lawful. Applying the text to a specific incident is for the competent authority.
Read the full guideWhat counts as identity theft or financial fraud under the law?
Article 4 of the Anti-Cyber Crime Law punishes taking, for oneself or another, movable property or a deed, or signing such a deed, by fraud, by assuming a false name, or by impersonating a false identity, as well as unlawful access to banking or credit data or securities-ownership data. Article 1 of the Anti-Financial Fraud Law punishes taking another's money without right by any means of fraud, including lying, deception or delusion.
Read the full guide