Muscat – Five expats have been jailed and fined by authorities for manufacturing furniture using old and used wood, the Consumer Protection Authority (CPA) announced.

The Court of the First Instances of Barka awarded the first accused ten-month jail and fined him RO1,000. The court also awarded four other accused ten-month jail.

The accused will be deported once they serve their jail sentence.

CPA in a statement said, ‘The Court of First Instance in the Wilayat of Barka recently issued a judicial ruling on the conviction of a number of expatriates for violating the Consumer Protection Law issued by Royal Decree No. 66/2014. The accused manufactured furniture from old and used wood in a furniture shop in Barka.’

The court also revoked the company’s license and declared the sixth accused innocent due to lack of evidence, it stated

The Consumer Protection Authority called upon everyone to abide by the provisions of the Consumer Protection Law and not to harm the safety of consumers or expose them to pests and diseases.