Atheer – Lawyer Salah Khalifa Al Maqbali
The new Penal Code, as per Royal Decree (7/2018) deals with cases of crimes relating to cheques that did not exist in the old penal code
Article (356) of the new Penal Code stipulates that a penalty of no less than one month and no more than two years and a fine of no less than 100 Omani Rials and not more than 500 Omani Rials will be applied for the following crimes:
- Issuing a cheque that does not correspond to an existing balance, if the available balance is less than the value of the cheque, or of the account is closed
- Withdrawing money from the account following the issuance of the cheque so that the amount does not meet the cheque’s value
- Ordering the person to whom the cheque has been assigned not to cash it
- Issuing a cheque in such a manner that prevents it from being cashed
In all cases, the court shall, at the request of the concerned parties, order an individual convicted of any of these crimes to pay the value of the cheque, as well as any expenses incurred by the beneficiary.
