Judicial System Of Oman

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JUDICIAL SYSTEM OF OMAN Oman's judicial system traditionally has been based on the Shari'a--the Qur'anic laws and the oral teachings of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad. Traditionally, Shari'a courts fell under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice, Awqaf, and Islamic Affairs. Oman's first criminal code was not enacted until 1974. The current structure of the criminal court system was established in 1984 and consists of a magistrate court in the capital and four additional magistrate courts in Sohar, Sur, Salalah, and Nizwa. In the less-populated areas and among the nomadic Bedouin, tribal custom often is the law. The legal order of the Sultanate of Oman has been largely codified in the Basic Statute of the State promulgated by RoyalDecree101/96 COMMENTS Like some other Arab countries Oman’s law is based on the Shari’a or the Qur’anic laws and the teachings of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad. I think that Oman’s Judiciary System was setup really late compared to other major GCC countries. And I also think that the court system also should be bought down to the less populated area such as the area where Bedouin tribes stay. For a population as large as two million, the five courts is not at all a proportional number. So I think more courts should be set up in Oman so that cases can be dealt faster. And the fact that I took over 39 years for Oman to initiate a good judiciary system. THE COURT SYSTEM Recent royal decrees have placed the entire court system—magistrates, commercial, shari'a and civil courts—under the control of the Ministry of Justice. An independent Office of the Public Prosecutor also has been created (formerly a part of the Royal Oman Police), and a Supreme Court is under formation. Regional court complexes are envisioned to house the various
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