Forgery Lawyers in Jeddah

Forgery in Jeddah: the actual penalties by document type

The Penal Law for Forgery Crimes (which replaced the older Anti-Forgery system) regulates this crime with a precise penalty scale depending on the type of document forged and the entity it's attributed to.

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Penalties by document type

• Official government document: 1 to 5 years imprisonment, and a fine up to SAR 500,000 (Article 8)
• Commercial or banking document: 1 to 5 years imprisonment, and a fine up to SAR 400,000 (Article 13)
• Seal of a public entity: 1 to 7 years imprisonment, and a fine up to SAR 700,000 (Article 4)
• Seal of a private entity: up to 3 years imprisonment, and a fine up to SAR 300,000 (Article 5)

Company liability, not just individuals

If a private company's manager or staff member is proven to have committed forgery for its benefit and with its knowledge, the company itself faces a fine of up to SAR 10 million and a ban on contracting with any government body for 2 to 5 years: in addition to the individual perpetrator's own penalty.

Reduced or waived penalties

The law exempts anyone who reports their own crime before it's discovered and the forged document is used, or who informs on other offenders and facilitates their arrest after discovery (Article 25). The penalty is also reduced to one-third of the minimum for anyone who returns funds obtained through the forgery.

Material forgery vs. moral (intellectual) forgery

Criminal jurisprudence distinguishes two types of forgery: material forgery, which physically alters a document by adding, deleting, or distorting words, numbers, or signatures, usually detected through technical examination of the document. And moral forgery, which records untrue facts in a document that is physically intact, such as an official recording an incident in a report that never actually happened, or altering the substance of a party's statement without their knowledge. Moral forgery is harder to prove because the document itself appears formally sound, and usually requires witness testimony or independent evidence to expose the falsity of its content.

Forged real estate contracts: a common risk in Jeddah

With Jeddah's major real estate growth, forging title deeds, sale powers of attorney, or lease contracts is common, whether through impersonating the real owner's signature or altering area and boundary data. Such cases intersect between the Forgery Law and the real estate registration system, and need coordination between criminal defense and a civil claim to void the transaction resulting from the forged document and recover ownership or amounts paid on its basis.

Digital identity impersonation: a new form of forgery

Forgery also covers digitally impersonating another person for fraudulent purposes, such as opening a bank account or applying for a government service in someone else's name by stealing or using their national ID data without authorization. This type is usually assessed alongside the Anti-Cyber Crime Law, and the penalty increases where actual financial harm results to the victim whose identity was impersonated.

The role of the technical expert in proving forgery

In cases disputing the authenticity of a signature or handwriting, the disputed document is usually referred to a court-accredited handwriting and document expert for comparison against samples known with certainty to belong to their owner. The technical expert's opinion is often decisive here, and the lawyers make a point of attending the comparison procedures and challenging the expert's methodology where deficiencies exist before his report is accepted as conclusive evidence.

Our services

1. Defending those accused in forgery cases of all types
2. Representing those harmed by a forged document to claim compensation for material and moral damage
3. Assessing whether exemption or reduction provisions apply to your situation
4. Challenging the charge where gaps exist in proving criminal intent

To face a forgery accusation or claim your right from a forged document in Jeddah, reach out to us on WhatsApp.

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