People guilty of issuing bad checks will also see their names published in local newspapers. Anyone who repeats an offense within three years could be fined up to SR100,000 and sent to jail for a maximum of five years, Al-Madinah newspaper reported.The new law, approved by the Council of Ministers on March 1 this year, aims to stop people issuing bad checks and expedite lawsuits pertaining to such cases, said a source at the ministry.“Unlike the situation earlier, the ministry’s offices that deal with this issue will no longer receive direct complaints from people who have been cheated,” said the source, adding that the police will now tackle all complaints pertaining to the issuing of bad checks.Abdul Aziz bin Kulaib, assistant undersecretary for legal affairs at the ministry, said recently that the new procedures were being introduced following instructions issued by Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior Prince Naif who called for the implementation of a new law governing the issue. “Under the law, anybody who has been accused of issuing a bad check will be subjected to punitive action. A complaint can be lodged against the drawer if a check was dishonored on presentation because of insufficient funds,” he said.“The law outlines six situations in which victims can take legal action against the issuer. These include a check bouncing due to insufficient funds, withdrawal of a part of the deposit by the issuer after issuing the check, asking the bank not to honor the check, or putting a wrong signature on the check to ensure it is not processed,” he added.Bin Kulaib warned against the reckless practice of issuing post-dated checks without insufficient funds. “This is a criminal offense under the amended 118 article of the bill of exchange law,” he added.