JEDDAH, 1 April 2005 — The Shoura Council will on Sunday start discussing a new draft law that seeks tough penalties for public officials who misuse their authority, with the punishment ranging from prison terms of up to ten years to fines of up to SR1 million ($266,000). Both punishments could be applied concurrently.
Misuse of authority includes wasting public money, negligence that results in public funds being wasted, unauthorized disposal of public assets, facilitating acquisition of public money either by civil servants or others and deliberate destruction of money, according to Al-Jazeera newspaper quoting sources close to the Shoura Council.
The Court of Grievances will have jurisdiction over hearing cases filed against public officials including questioning the persons against whom charges are brought. The court will have jurisdiction on compensation claims related to the case.
The Prosecution and Investigation Commission is currently preparing the executive regulations for the new draft law on protecting public money. These will be ready within 60 days after the draft law is finally approved and published in the official gazette.
The law defines public money as all assets owned by the state or those in which the state is a shareholder, whether these are found inside the Kingdom or abroad.
The new draft law will supercede all previous corresponding laws that have become outdated, including a 50-year old royal decree and another decree issued three decades ago.
The Shoura Council is about to witness a major expansion and reshuffle that would see the inclusion of new members, bringing the total number of members to 150 instead of the current 120. The expansion of the council will see the inclusion of representatives from the Kingdom’s different regions and tribes.
Shoura Chairman Dr. Saleh Bin-Humaid will remain in his post but his deputy Bakri Shatta and Secretary-General Dr. Hamoud Al-Badr — both have completed three terms — will be replaced. The new changes will also see more powers vested in the council, including debating the state budget before its announcement.
The appointment of women, however, has been ruled out at this stage, with the issue not mooted officially, although it has been raised on several occasions.
Members of the council, including Osama Kurdi and Muhammad Al-Zulfa have called for the appointment of women, arguing there was no justification for keeping women out of the council.
The council, established in 1992, has powers to legislate new laws and introduce changes to existing laws without first seeking royal permission. It can pass any law and send it for government approval.
A prominent Saudi female human rights campaigner, Dr. Suhaila Zainul Abideen Hammad, urged the authorities to reconsider the decision banning women and appoint female members to the council in the upcoming reshuffle.
“I asked for a third of the seats because 30 new members will be added to the Shoura Council and 20 existing members will have their membership extended. We should have women as the new members, and instead of extending the term of the 20 men these should be replaced with women,” said Dr. Suhaila, an executive member of the National Society for Human Rights.
She said Islam does not prevent women from taking part in the Shoura. “The word shoura or consultation used in the Qur’an is referred to the general public and does not specify men, which means there is nothing in Islam that prevents women from participating,” she added.
