RIYADH — A Saudi criminal court sentenced an engineer, who practiced the profession in the city of Riyadh without obtaining professional accreditation, to six months in prison and a fine of SR50,000.

The court also slapped fines amounting to SR100,000 on the company for employing the engineer.

The company was found guilty of violating the provisions of Article 11 of the Law of Practicing Engineering Professions, which is to employ an engineering practitioner without obtaining professional accreditation. The engineer was also convicted of impersonating a title from the professional degrees granted to those who are professionally accredited without obtaining it in a legal manner.

Eng. Abdul Mohsen Al-Majnouni, secretary general of the Saudi Council of Engineers, said that the practitioner who violated the engineering profession was caught during one of the inspection tours of the council's inspection teams in Riyadh. He said that the legal procedures were completed against him, and his statements and the statements of the legal representative of the engineering company that employed him were recorded, in accordance with the Criminal Procedures Law. The case was then referred to the Public Prosecution according to jurisdiction for investigation and prosecution.

Eng. Al-Majnouni said that the authority seized a number of establishments and individuals for violating the Law of Practicing Engineering Professions during its inspection tours over the past few months. It referred 30 cases to the Public Prosecution to complete the legal procedures against them, including 14 companies, contracting establishments, and interior decoration and design establishments that provide engineering consulting services in design, supervision, and interior design.

He noted that the violations committed by them included practicing engineering work without obtaining a license, employing practitioners of the profession without obtaining professional accreditation, and using means of advertising and publicity that would lead to the belief in the right to practice the profession without obtaining the necessary license for that. The authority also took action against 8 engineering offices and companies, whose violations included employing engineering practitioners without obtaining professional accreditation.

Eng. Al-Majnouni said that the authority seized 8 practitioners of the profession from individuals of different nationalities, whose violations included providing data that did not match the truth or following irregular methods that resulted in professional accreditation or professional degree, practicing engineering work without obtaining professional accreditation, and impersonating title of a professional degree.

He stressed the importance of obtaining professional accreditation to practice engineering work in the Kingdom, and not using professional degree titles that are granted to those who are professionally accredited on official publications and social media accounts, and other violations stipulated in the Law of Practicing Engineering Professions.

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