The Shoura Council Secretary-General Muhammed Al-Ghamdi said the draft would be sent to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for sanction.
Al-Ghamdi said the members unanimously approved the draft penal code following intensive discussions based on recommendations from the council's security affairs committee.
The draft will replace the Kingdom's Anti-Forgery Law of 1380 AH. It comprises 32 articles dealing with fraud and its negative repercussions on the national economy.
Al-Ghamdi said the draft has identified areas of forgery and suggested preventive and remedial measures to be implemented to prevent and control such fraud in the Kingdom.
Under the proposed system, the submission of forged documents or medical certificates by public and private sector employees to support their cases, the tampering of educational certificates and the forging of historical documents to distort the Kingdom’s history will be punishable offenses.
Meanwhile, Shoura Council Chairman Abdullah Al-Asheikh said that manuscripts are an integral part of the Kingdom’s annals. He added that heritage is considered an important reference for the Kingdom’s history and serves as an invaluable asset that should be preserved and protected for the good of the nation.
In a statement at the opening of an exhibition about manuscripts in Riyadh, Al-Asheikh said the event has been organized by the King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives with the support of Riyadh Gov. Prince Salman to preserve invaluable manuscripts that speak volumes about the Kingdom’s rich heritage.
“These efforts are made within the framework of the policy and vision of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and Crown Prince Sultan, deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation and inspector general,” he added.
The event — Manuscript Heritage of Saudi Arabia Exhibition — is being held in cooperation with Saudi Aramco and showcases a rare collection of valuable manuscripts. The display contains 100 manuscripts from more than 60 libraries.
Prince Salman who inaugurated the exhibition is also the chairman of the Board of Directors of the King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives.
