Saleh Al-Zahrani
Okaz/Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH — The General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI) has announced the families of Saudi prisoners are entitled to a monthly pension allowance regardless of the age of the inmate.
Deputy Governor of GOSI Abdulaziz Al-Habdan said the organization sympathizes with the families of registered inmates and their right to a dignified living.
“The families of all Saudi inmates, whether they are men or women, will receive a monthly pension allowance even if the inmate is below 60 years old and has not retired yet as long as they had been registered with the organization for at least 120 months,” said Al-Habdan.
He also said the inmate must be sentenced to at least three months in prison and have terminated the work contract in order for the family to receive the allowance.
“The inmate does not have to spend three months in order for the allowance to be allocated. If the inmate was sentenced to three months, then the family would receive the allowance till the last day of his or incarceration,” said Al-Habdan.
He said the organization will then suspend the pension for the amount of months spent in prison after the inmate is released.
“A family member of the inmate should visit one of the organization’s 22 offices dispersed in all regions and provinces of the Kingdom. They can apply for the allowance and go through the process as instructed by the office staff,” said Al-Habdan.
He also said the monthly allowance is a minimum of SR2,000 irrespective of the crime the inmate had committed.
“The family applies for the pension through an attorney and have the application stamped by the Prison Directorate. The family should also attach a copy of the Family ID. The employer of the inmate has to terminate the social insurance contributions of the inmate as well,” said Al-Habdan.
He said the family of the inmate can receive the allowance even if the inmate spent 25 years in prison. In case of the death of the inmate, the family will be covered by the organization’s policies in such cases.
