Cases related to bank cheque emerged as top ten, and most frequently committed crime in the Sultanate in 2020. Number of crimes, however, has reduced during the pandemic year.
As many as 4,947 cases were registered with the Public Prosecution in which cheques were dishonoured due to lack of funds in respective accounts. Cases related to violation of the Labour Law stood at 2,753, followed by the violation of the Foreigners’ Residence
Law (2,584).
The index of the total cases dealt with by the Public Prosecution in 2020 fell compared to 2019 as the number of cases in 2020 was 23,831, while in 2019 the number was 28,920. That is, a fall of 5,089 cases (18 per cent) from the previous year.
This was revealed at the annual media briefing held by the Public Prosecution under the auspices of Nasr bin Khamis al Sawai, Public Prosecutor, and Dr Ahmed bin Saeed al Shukaili, Assistant Attorney General at the Head Quarters on Tuesday.
Crimes involving Information Technology stood at 2,292, followed by narcotic and psychotropic crimes (1,962), and violation of Traffic Law.
Crimes involving coercion or threatening, insulting and slandering reached 1,894, violating Consumer Protection Law (1,750), theft and extortion of money (1,699) and 1,205 cases involving frauds were registered last year.
E-LINKAGE
“All our efforts towards codifying the activities of the Public Prosecution are in consistence with the future vision of Oman Vision 2040 on which the future is based on. With this in mind, we have introduced modern technology besides many electronic link packages with a number of government agencies,” said Nasr bin Khamis al Sawai, adding that the Administrative Affairs Council of the Judiciary and the Royal Oman Police, and integration efforts with all relevant partners still continuing.
“The future plan of the Public Prosecution, which has already begun its procedures, is to enable remote investigation in all its departments, and in all cases that can be investigated in this way, especially children and family cases. The public prosecution is in the process of taking the necessary preparations for that,” added Dr Ahmed bin Saeed al Shukaili.
He further said that being part of the Supreme Committee tasked with formulating strategies to face the developments resulting from the spread of the Coronavirus (Covid-19), the Public Prosecution had issued Judicial Decision No. 11/2020 to form a committee named Public Health Investigation Committee. It works to prepare daily reports on issues related to the pandemic, and follows its procedures up-to-date until the implementation of the rulings issued therein.
“And we see that these measures, along with what other relevant authorities have done, have had a positive impact in curbing and controlling violations, and protecting society from its dangers,” he adds.
The Public Prosecution received 248 out of which 225 cases were disposed of by referral, and convictions were issued to 180 cases, and 23 twenty-three cases were preserved in various ways.
KABEER YOUSUF
@kabeeryousef
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