Muscat – The number of cases received by the Public Prosecution went up to 32,277 in 2022, an increase of 14.5 per cent compared to 2021. Bounced cheque cases topped the list.

Presiding over an annual press conference, H E Nasr bin Khamis al Sawai, the Public Prosecutor, said, “Bounded cheque cases topped the crimes in 2022, increasing by 14.9 per cent.”

He informed that the number of misdemeanor cases reached 30,543, showing an increase of 14.6 per cent he compared to 2021.

The governorate of Muscat recorded 13,155 cases, which is 40.8 per cent of the total cases, the highest in the country. While Musandam recorded the lowest number of cases at 0.6 per cent, or 188 cases.

In response to a question about a number murders witnessed in Oman during the past few months, H E Sawai said, “A working group has been formed by the Ministry of Social Development, in cooperation with the Public Prosecution, to study each case separately, and work is under way.”

The Public Prosecutor said that the body achieved a completion rate of 97 per with regards to the cases referred to it in 2022. The Public Prosecution referred 19,558 cases to the courts, while 11,687 cases were settled by the authority.

The number of defendants registered in cases during the past year amounted to 40,113, an increase of 15 per cent, compared to 2021. The percentage of expatriates out of the total cases reached 42.3 per cent.

Dr Ahmed bin Saeed al Shukaili, Assistant Public Prosecutor, stated that the total number of judgments passsed last year reached 15,442, of which 90.2 per cent were implemented.

He also said there is a continuous coordination with competent authorities to track down fake accounts that spread rumors on social media platforms.

“Most of these accounts are handled from outside Oman, and the Public Prosecution relies on community awareness to address them,” he said.