Muscat: The Public Prosecution revealed that the total number of cases referred to it during 2023 stood at 37,836, with an increase of 17.2 per cent compared to 2022.
This was revealed during the annual conference titled "Fairness of Procedures" held on Monday, which discussed many important topics, including those related to the annual statistical indicators of cases.
Nasr bin Khamis al Suwaei, Attorney General, said the statistics of public money crimes and money laundering revealed that crimes committed by employees exceeding the limits of their duties and negligence in performing their duties, in 2022, amounted to 62 cases, and in 2023, it increased to 105 cases. He pointed out that Oman has the lowest crime index compared to countries that are similar to it economically, geographically, and socially.
He pointed out that there is a joint team between the Public Prosecution and the State Financial and Administrative Control Authority working round the clock and continuously reviewing the cases referred to them by the authorities.
Dr Ahmed bin Said al Shukaili, Assistant Attorney General and official spokesman of the Public Prosecution department,
said that the number of cases referred to the Public Prosecution during the year amounted to 37,836, including 35,777 misdemeanors, 3,777 felonies, and 282 cases of violations and administrative complaints. The completion rate reached 96.9 per cent, with only 3.1 per cent pending.
He added that the Governorate of Muscat recorded the highest percentage in the number of cases at 16,534 cases, followed by Al Batinah North Governorate with 5,913 cases, and Dhofar Governorate with 3,922 cases. When compared to the total number of cases for each governorate between the years (2022–2023), the most significant increases were observed in Al Dhahirah (56 per cent) and Al Wusta (55 per cent).
Dr Al Shukaili explained that homicide cases decreased in 2023, reaching 7 cases, while it was 13 cases in 2022. As for cases related to public funds and money laundering, there were 219 cases reported during the past year, compared to 154 cases in 2022, indicating that the amount collected for public rights during the past year amounted to RO 3,432,637.
He pointed out that felonies referred to the Public Prosecution in the past year increased by 399 cases, with a 29 per cent increase from 2022, where 1,777 felonies were recorded compared to 1,378 felonies in 2022.
He said that the number of registered defendants in the past year reached 47,667 defendants, while the number in 2022 was 40,113 , showing an increase of 7,554 defendants, and a percentage increase of 18.8 per cent compared to 2022. Criminal events this year numbered 747 incidents, while they reached 771 incidents in 2022.
He clarified that the number of appeals received by the Public Prosecution Department at the Supreme Court last year decreased to 812 appeals, compared to the appeals received in 2022, which amounted to 916 appeals, indicating a decrease of 11 per cent.
Regarding the most common crimes during the past year, he pointed out that bounced cheque crimes topped the list with 8,461 cases, followed by labour law violations with 7,571 cases, violations of the foreign residency law with 6,263 cases, consumer protection law violations with 3,340 cases, and frauds with 3,202 cases.
He emphasised that legal awareness is one of the most important means of preventing crime, and there is an annual plan in which several programmes are implemented in coordination with official and private institutions.
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