Thursday 25 / April / 2024
Muscat: An expat has been fined OMR 5,000, imprisoned for three months and will be deported from the Sultanate of Oman for non-compliance with replacing or repairing a defective commodity.
"Sohar Court of First Instance recently issued a judicial ruling for violating the Consumer Protection Law issued by Royal Decree No. (66/2014) for not committing to replacing or repairing a defective commodity. The accused was sentenced to an imprisonment of three months and a fine of OMR 5,000 and is to be deported from the country for life after the end of his sentence, unless he was arrested for another civil reason," the Consumer Protection Authority (CPA) said in a statement.
The court also ruled that the vehicle sale contract between the plaintiff and the defendant be canceled, obligating the defendant to pay an amount of OMR 1,675 to the plaintiff and compensate him with OMR 2,000 for the damage he sustained in accordance with the reasons for the judgment and obligating defendant to pay the expenses.
The facts of the ruling are summed up in the filing of a complaint by a consumer to the Directorate General of Consumer Protection in North Al Batinah Governorate, according to which he agreed with one of the vehicle sales establishments to buy a vehicle, and after receiving it, he noticed scratches on the right and left sides, vibration of the vehicle, a sound in the transmission, and the appearance of a vehicle inspection notification. The consumer went to the institution, which confirmed that there was no malfunction in it, and he had to bring it for inspection after traveling 1,000 kms.
After several delays, the consumer submitted a complaint to the Directorate, which took the necessary measures and examined the vehicle by a technical expert, who explained that it had a malfunction. Based on the merits of the complaint, the matter was referred to the Public Prosecution to initiate a public lawsuit, which in turn referred it to the competent court, which issued its aforementioned ruling.
