GOVPH
MENU
Hits: 18039

 

 

 

PHILIPPINE EMBASSY BULLETIN
ON THE
2017 KSA AMNESTY PROGRAMME:
“A NATION WITHOUT VIOLATORS”

Bulletin No. 004

The Philippine Embassy reminds all Filipinos who are illegally staying in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to immediately avail of the Amnesty Programme being offered by the Saudi Government. The Amnesty programme will last for ninety (90) days since beginning on 1/7/1438 Hijri, corresponding to 29 March 2017.

The Saudi Government is strictly warning all expatriates that after the Amnesty period has ended, it will begin a comprehensive national campaign to search for and immediately arrest and detain all expatriates who are illegally staying in the country. Expatriates who are arrested in this way will be required to pay the full penalties incurred during their illegal stay, including serving jail time and other appropriate sanctions under Saudi law, and will be eventually deported back to their country of origin.

Note also that Saudi Authorities will likewise hold accountable those who harbor or protect illegally staying expatriates. Punishments for harboring an illegally staying expatriate include jail sentence, fines and deportation from the Kingdom.

The Embassy advises all Filipinos who are accommodating illegally staying expatriates to convince them to immediately avail of the Amnesty programme and exit the country before the end of the Amnesty period, in order to avoid being detained, fined and deported by Saudi Authorities.

Special Advisory for Amnesty Applicants with Police Cases:

For those Filipinos who tried to apply for the Amnesty but who were found out to have pending police cases, please be reminded/informed of the following:

  1. Per the original announcement by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif Bin Abdulaziz, Saudi Deputy Premier and Ministry of Interior, expatriates with police cases are not qualified to avail of the amnesty unless their police case has been resolved.
     
  2. Per Saudi Police, all those who have police cases should appear before the police authorities where their case was filed and submit themselves for Police investigation. Police authorities have the right to detain those who have police cases pending the results of the investigation.
     
  3. Police authorities will call the person who filed the case and ask them to likewise appear before the police authorities for the investigation. If during the investigation, the case is proven to be without merit, then it will be dropped and the person with the police case will be released.
     
  4. If the case is proven to have merit, the Police will ask the two parties to try and settle the case. If they reach an amicable settlement, they will sign a final agreement (mukalasa) which will be certified by the police authorities. The mukalasa is proof that the case has been resolved. It can be shown to the Jawasat in order for the final exit to be issued during the Amnesty period.
     
  5. If an amicable settlement cannot be reached, the police investigator will endorse the case to the prosecutor’s office under the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution (BIPP). The prosecutor will then conduct his own investigation into the case. If the case cannot be settled at the prosecutor’s office, then the prosecutor will endorse the case to the criminal court where it will be heard by a judge. At this stage the case will follow normal the normal legal process under Saudi law.
     
  6. At any given time during the investigation, the person with the police case can be released on temporary bail (kafala) by his/her employer/sponsor. Those on kafala however, cannot exit the Kingdom unless their case has been resolved.
     

The Embassy was informed by its police contacts that the instruction of the Saudi Ministry of Interior to the police is to resolve all cases before the end of the Amnesty period. This can only be done by the police if those with police cases voluntarily submit themselves for investigation.

 

In this light, the Embassy advises those with police cases to immediately submit themselves to the Police authorities where their case was filed in order to facilitate the swift resolution of their cases by the concerned Saudi Authorities. - END