RIYADH, 1 July — Authorities will soon introduce a new system to coordinate the services of “muakibs”, or general service offices, which process documents for private establishments and individuals in various government departments. The Shoura Council has started discussing a bill in this regard.
Under the new system, general service offices will be required to produce a bank guarantee of SR20,000 to the Commerce Ministry, informed sources told Arab News yesterday. They said the offices would be asked to reorganize their activities within six months of issuance of the new law.
Only Saudis, aged not less than 18 years, will be allowed to practice the profession. The new law bars people who had been convicted of any criminal activity from holding the job.
Violators of the regulations will be slapped a fine of between SR1,000 and SR7,000, the sources said. Any office found repeating the offense will be sealed for at least three months.
“They will be prevented from practicing for three years, if the offense is repeated for a third time,” the source said. If an office is found guilty of any offense, the fines will be deducted from its bank guarantee.
A three-member committee including a legal adviser will decide the penalties. The offices can appeal to the Court of Grievances against the panel’s ruling within a month. The offices should keep a record of the papers submitted for processing, the type of work, the fees charged, the name and address of clients and the date of receiving and returning the documents.
The offices are also required to keep the documents confidential. The offices are not allowed to do the job for companies which employ more than 30 people. Such firms are required to appoint a Saudi national for the job.
