Riyadh—SPA
The Honorable Council of Ministers, at its session chaired by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Defense —may God protect him—held on April 14, 2014, at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh, approved the system for electronically transferring information on individuals dealing with private entities to the National Information Center at the Ministry of Interior (the “Shamos” security system).The text of the decision is as follows:
Having reviewed the proposal submitted by the Ministry of Interior, and having considered Shura Council Resolution No. (118/56) dated 9/1/1435 AH, the Council of Ministers approved the system for electronically transferring information on individuals dealing with private entities to the National Information Center at the Ministry of Interior (the “Shamos” Security System). A Royal Decree to that effect has been prepared.
Among the most notable features of the system are:
– The system establishes the general rules for the electronic transfer of information on individuals dealing with private entities to the National Information Center at the Ministry of the Interior via a system called the “Shamos System,” which the Ministry of the Interior is responsible for operating, supervising, and developing. At the same time, the system requires the Ministry to take the technical and technological measures necessary to ensure the privacy of private establishments and the confidentiality of information, and to guarantee that such information is not used for purposes other than those for which it was intended.
– The system applies to private establishments engaged in the following activities: tourist lodging facilities, vacation home rentals, car rentals, the purchase of gold and jewelry from customers, intercity passenger transportation within or outside the Kingdom, vehicle transportation, real estate leasing, sports centers, and the sale of deregistered vehicles.
The esteemed Council of Ministers also approved the establishment of a center named the “Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration,” under the umbrella of the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry, with its headquarters in Riyadh, to oversee arbitration proceedings in relevant commercial and civil disputes where the parties agree to settle their disputes through arbitration within the framework of this center, in accordance with applicable regulations and established commercial and civil judicial principles. Disputes related to administrative matters, personal status, criminal cases, and matters not subject to conciliation fall outside the Center’s jurisdiction.
The Center shall have a Board of Directors formed by a resolution of the Council of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, in agreement with the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Commerce and Industry, and in coordination with the Governor of the General Investment Authority, for a term of three years, renewable, The Chair and members of the Board must have previously worked in the relevant private sector for a period of no less than ten years for the Chair and five years for the members, and none of them may hold a government position or office.
