المملكة: 10 years imprisonment for violators … restricting the sovereign meteorology services to the National Meteorological Center

The Public Prosecution affirmed that meteorological services of a sovereign nature, related to national security, are limited exclusively to the National Meteorological Center, stressing that practicing any activity that affects this aspect is a serious violation that requires strict penalties up to 10 years in prison and a fine of two million riyals.

A crime that requires arrest

The prosecution clarified that these violations are considered one of the major crimes that lead to arrest, stressing at the same time that the regulations obligate everyone who provides services or publishes information in the field of meteorology to obtain licenses and regular permits.
She also indicated that the regulatory regulations are strictly classified as the types of meteorological services, pointing out that the provision of sovereign services concerned with the outputs and meteorological information related to national security is limited to the National Meteorological Center and not others, in a way that enhances the integrity of information and protects national security.

The start of implementation and the most prominent penalties

The National Meteorological Center begins to implement the meteorological system requirements starting on Tuesday 10 Shawwal 1446 AH corresponding to April 8, 2025 AD, as part of the national efforts to organize the sector, raise the efficiency of performance and control the quality of meteorological services in the Kingdom, in a way that keeps pace with national targets and international obligations.
The system stipulated strict penalties in the event of any of the violations stipulated, as the penalties include a fine not exceeding 500,000 riyals, or suspending the license or declaration for a period not exceeding 6 months, or canceling them, and the system permits the confiscation of the seizures in question, in addition to obliging the violator to repair the resulting damage or compensation for the value of the reform and the benefit of benefit under the supervision of the center.
The minister gives the minister the authority to issue schedules to classify violations and determine appropriate penalties, taking into account the gravity and nature.
The system indicated that looking at these violations is through a committee formed by a decision of the minister and consists of three members, one of whom is a specialist in Sharia or regulations, and issues its decisions by majority.
The decisions of the committee are approved if it includes a fine of more than 100,000 riyals or included the cancellation of the license or the permit. The system also permits the committee to impose a fine for every day in which the violation continues after the issuance of a final decision, and the multiplication of the punishment when repeating the violation, and the request to confiscate the seizures from the competent court, while enabling the affected by the grievance before the administrative court within 60 days from the date of informing it of the decision.

Prison penalty and financial fine

The system pointed out that whoever engages in sovereign meteorology services in violation, exposes himself to the prison sentence for a period of up to 10 years, or a fine not exceeding 2,000,000 riyals, or the two penalties together, without prejudice to what may be established in other regulations of more severe penalties. The regime pointed out that the Public Prosecution undertakes the investigation and prosecution in violations of a criminal nature, while the criminal court is concerned with considering these violations and issuing rulings, and it may impose a daily fine for the continuation of the violation after the issuance of the ruling, and the multiplication of punishment in the event of repetition, in addition to the ruling to confiscate the seizures.
The regime also authorized the publication of the verdict or the decision to punish, at the expense of the violator, in a local newspaper issued at its residence or its nearest area, or through another appropriate media outlet, according to the type and division of the violation and its impact, after the acquisition of the ruling or the decision is the definitive characteristic or fortified it with the deadline of grievance or the issuance of a final ruling to reject the grievance.

The powers and borders of the center’s inspectors

The system confirmed that the inspectors of the center, who are determined by a decision by the minister, are responsible for controlling and investigating violations, and they may use the competent authorities during the performance of their duties, and they are also allowed to immediately reserve any tools or materials suspected of using the violation, and they edit a record that is presented to the committee within 7 days to decide the continuation or cancellation of reservations.
It is prohibited to prevent the inspector from performing his work or disabled him in any way, provided that his job card is highlighted when his duties are directly.
The system indicated that one of the violations that require punishment: infringement or tampering with monitoring stations, their facilities, networks, or data, or destroying them completely or partially, or disabled or transferred, either directly or indirect The provisions of the system or executive regulations.

Conditions and controls for practicing meteorology services

System.
The system pointed out that the projects that require the nature of the use of meal information must obtain this information from the center or from the licensees before the start of implementation, provided that the regulations determine the nature of these projects..
The system reported that a license must be obtained when importing, installing, operating, transporting, trading, calibrating, or maintaining monitoring stations, and a license must be obtained when the station ownership is waived, provided that the stations are determined through the executive regulations.. System.
The system also indicated that the regulations are classified as the types of licenses and permits, and each of which is determined by its requirements, controls and regulatory procedures..

Meteorological services controls

The regime stressed that the sovereign meteorology services are an exclusive jurisdiction for the National Meteorological Center, and the regulations are classified as the types of these services accurately.
The system pointed out that the center or the licensee provides meteorological services to the authorities concerned with air and marine navigation within the Kingdom, in accordance with civil aviation systems and international agreements in which the Kingdom is a party.
The center determines, in coordination with the General Authority of Civil Aviation, the financial compensation for providing these services for air navigation, and the financial compensation for the services provided for marine navigation is determined.
The system affirmed that the provisions contained in it and in its executive regulations represent the minimum commitment to the standards, controls and organizational procedures in the meteorological sector, as well as the application of its provisions in everything that was not mentioned in it a special regular text, without prejudice to the Kingdom’s obligations stipulated in international agreements or the approved Gulf regulations.