According to reports, the Saudi Justice Ministry has issued new guidelines tasking all lawyers to report any suspected cases of money laundering and terrorism financing to the Interior Ministry’s Financial Investigative Unit. Saudi Justice Minister Muhammad Bin Abdul Karim Issa called on all lawyers to take appropriate actions to reduce the threat that money laundering and terrorism and to tighten requirements regarding the identification of clients. He stressed that all lawyers must be certain regarding the identity of their clients and who is benefiting from their legal expertise, before establishing any working relations with individuals or companies. In addition to this, the Justice Ministry ruled that a lawyer cannot have any legal or business relations with any anonymous or unknown figures; a legal client must provide his national identity card as well as any relevant business registration and licenses to his lawyer. As for foreign clients, the lawyer must verify his prospective client’s residency permit or passport, or diplomatic license, in the case of members of foreign embassies. The Minister stressed that lawyers must also ensure that any prospective client is not listed on any domestic sanctions or embargo blacklist, or the United Nations sanctions. 1

• 1. “Saudi Justice Ministry clamps down on money laundering and terrorism financing”, Asharq al Awsat, September 2, 2012, at http://www.asharq-e.com/news.asp?section=1&id=30905