Saudi Arabia is to legalize the sale of alcohol to non-Muslim diplomats for the first time, according to two officials familiar with the idea.
Alcohol “will be sold to non-Muslim diplomats” who previously had to import it through a diplomatic pouch, according to one of the individuals.
Prohibition has been the rule in Saudi Arabia since 1952, when one of King Abdulaziz’s sons became inebriated and fatally shot a British envoy.
Rumours have circulated for years that alcohol might be sold in the Gulf country as part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 reform drive, which includes the establishment of theaters and mixed-gender music festivals.
On Wednesday, the Saudi government announced the implementation of a new regulatory framework to combat the illegal trade of alcohol products received by diplomatic missions.
The statement added: “The new process will focus on allocating specific quantities of alcohol goods when entering the Kingdom to put an end to the previous unregulated process that caused an uncontrolled exchange of such goods in the Kingdom.”
The current laws limit the ability of the majority of Saudi Arabia’s 32 million residents to consume alcohol.
Aside from attending diplomatic functions, they can brew homemade wine or sell whiskey on the illicit market, where bottles can fetch hundreds of dollars ahead of holidays like New Year’s Eve.
Foreigners may face fines, jail time, public whipping, and deportation if they consume or possess alcohol in Saudi Arabia.