LexisNexis Middle East

Kuwait: Draft Anti-corruption Law Submitted

07/12/201911/12/2019
by Benjamin Filaferro

A Kuwaiti MP has submitted a draft amendment to the country’s law establishing the Kuwait Anti-Corruption Authority in terms of the provision on disclosing assets and liabilities. If approved, the amendment will mean MPs suspected of corruption will be immediately suspended and prohibited from contesting the next parliamentary election until a court verdict is issued. It will also mean that if a public prosecutor thinks they have collected sufficient evidence of the involvement of an MP in corruption, they will have to immediately inform the Speaker of the National Assembly and the relevant MP as well as refer the case to the appropriate court. The MP will then be suspended with full pay until a court verdict is issued or the current Parliamentary term ends.

News developments

Saudi Arabia: Yellow Band Companies Transferred to Red Band Under Nitaqat System

06/12/201911/12/2019
by Benjamin Filaferro

Saudi Arabia’s Labour and Social Development Minister has issued a Decision cancelling the yellow band under the Nitaqat system. All companies which fell under this band will now be transferred to the red band. The Decision will come into force on 28 December 2019. The aim is to encourage businesses to increase Saudisation rates.

Weekly Spotlight

Weekly Spotlight: Saudi Arabia to Nationalise Thousands of Jobs in the Industrial Sector

01/12/201911/12/2019
by Benjamin Filaferro

Saudi Arabia signs new agreement to nationalize thousands of jobs in the industrial sector. The Ministry of Labour and Social Development, represented by its deputy minister, Abdullah Abu Thunain, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation, the Saudi Human Resources Development Fund, and the Council of the Saudi Chambers.

The MoU establishes a partnership aimed at raising Saudization rates and promote the private industrial sector by nationalizing over 35,982 jobs in the industrial sector by 2021, after activating programmes and incentives supporting employment and training of nationals.

News developments

Kuwait: New Health Insurance Fees on Expats in 2020

30/11/201911/12/2019
by Benjamin Filaferro

Kuwait’s health ministry and the Health Assurance Hospitals Company (Dhaman) have started work to prepare a plan to implement new health insurance fees on expats by the beginning of 2020, according to official sources. The new fee would be KD 130 per expat working in the private sector and the same for each of their dependents. The sources said the new fee will cover medical and radiology tests and treatment. However, the new law does not specify who will be responsible for providing visitors with healthcare, but paying for healthcare of dependents will be the responsibility of the company the expat is registered with. The health ministry is expected to fully support insurance hospitals as part of its plan to force expats to receive medical treatment in private hospitals and leave public hospitals for citizens. Nonetheless, public hospitals are expected in exceptional circumstances to treat expats in emergency cases for specific fees which will be determined in related ministerial decisions.

News developments

Dubai: Golden Residency Visa System for Expatriates to be Introduced

30/11/201911/12/2019
by Benjamin Filaferro

Following an agreement between Dubai’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs and Dubai Free Zone Council, a golden residency visa system for expatriates is going to be introduced. It will be launched as part of the ‘Be Part of Dubai’ initiative. As part of the agreement, the three organisations will work together to identify priority investment sectors in Dubai, in line with the Emirate’s income diversification targets. They will also work together to familiarise businesspeople with the opportunities available in key economic sectors, as well as with the incentives offered to foreign investors in Dubai. The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the Global Business Forum Africa 2019 in Dubai.

News developments

Bahrain: Verdicts Issued Against Six Terror Suspects

29/11/201911/12/2019
by Benjamin Filaferro

Bahrain’s First High Criminal Court issued verdicts in the case of six suspects found guilty of joining a terrorist group and attempting an explosion. They were also charged with acquiring and possessing explosives without a license, and training on the making of explosives. Five were sentenced to life in prison and the sixth was jailed for five years. They were each fined 500 Dinars and the items were seized. They had received money, advice and materials from abroad and had attempted to blow up a bank ATM but the device failed.

News developments

Oman: Discounting Rules Stressed

29/11/201911/12/2019
by Benjamin Filaferro

Oman’s Public Authority of Consumer Protection (PACP) has called on consumers to file complaints if they notice price manipulations in discount offers. There have been recent reports of so called discount prices being quoted which represent the real value of the goods in the market and another larger price is stated as the value of the goods before the discount was applied which is incorrect. The Commission has stated that it follows up on such complaints and will issue directions to violating institutions. Consumers are being asked to send the name of the shop and details of their complaints. Oman Sultani Decree No. 66/2014 and its executive regulation issued by Oman Decree No. 77/2017 under Article 36, when making discounts on the prices of goods and services, a supplier must obtain the approval of the relevant authority after coordination with the Authority, to ascertain the prices in accordance with the regulations determined by the Authority, provide a list of the number of goods available for each type of discounts and declare the sale price before and during the period of discounts for each commodity in a clear manner which is readable and provide the percentage of discount. In addition, it will cost 200 Rials to issue or renew a license for glasses shop in Muscat Governorate, 3000 Rials to renew a license of a private hospital in Muscat Governorate and 500 Rials to renew a license of a private clinic.

Weekly Spotlight

Weekly Spotlight: New Decree Amending the UAE Federal Labour Law

24/11/201911/12/2019
by Benjamin Filaferro

The UAE’s President has issued a Decree amending the Federal Labour Law. Federal Law No. 8/1980 has been amended by Federal Decree-Law No. 6/2019. It was issued on 29 August and came into force one month after its publication in the Official Gazette.

Under the amendments, it will be illegal to dismiss pregnant women. If they do, the employee will be considered to have been arbitrarily dismissed under Article 122 of Federal Law No. 8/1980. The amendments also ban discrimination in jobs with the same functions or discriminate between people.

The Human Resources and Emiratisation Minister will issue decisions regulating work where men and women cannot both be employed.

News developments

Kuwait: New Decision Including Regulations for Mobile Vehicles

23/11/201911/12/2019
by Benjamin Filaferro

Kuwait’s Trade and Industry Minister has issued a Decision including regulations for mobile vehicles. The Ministry said the Decision sets out five conditions for mobile vehicles operation including establishing a sole trader enterprise or a company with limited liability to operate mobile vehicles. The person establishing the company should be a natural person with Kuwaiti citizenship. The manager should be Kuwaiti and the number of vehicles shouldn’t exceed one vehicle for pensioners and two for those who operate them under Section 5 of the Social Insurance Law or those who work in the civil sector according to Section 3 of the Social Insurance Law.

News developments

Qatar: National Address Law to be Implemented Soon

23/11/201911/12/2019
by Benjamin Filaferro

The Qatari Interior Ministry has announced the National Address Law (Qatar Law No. 24/2017) will be implemented soon. The Ministry added the relevant procedural and operational steps needed to implement the law have already been completed. The Law is part of an e-Government and digitisation strategy. When it is implemented, nationals and residents will have to register their addresses via the Metrash2 application or at any of the Interior Ministry centres in the country.

Every citizen or expatriate or their legal representatives will have to register their residential address, land telephone number, mobile number, email, employer address for Government and private sector employees and permanent address abroad. The guardians of minors will have to register them and verify the data is correct.