Tuesday 28 / January / 2025
Muscat: His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik chaired a meeting of the Supreme Judicial Council at Al Barakah Palace today.
At the outset of the meeting, His Majesty the Sultan underscored the fundamental role of the judiciary in achieving justice and consolidating the principles of law and order. He stressed the need to regularly update the justice system in a manner that suits the requirements of time and the aspirations of citizens and in line with Oman Vision 2040.
His Majesty the Sultan also stressed the need to continue achieving prompt justice by accelerating litigation procedures, diminishing adjudication time and avoiding the accumulation of unresolved cases.
His Majesty the Sultan underlined the importance of developing the digital infrastructure of the judicial sector to support the realization of prompt justice and enhancing transparency. In this context, His Majesty the Sultan commended the Supreme Judicial Council’s strategy 2024-2040. He laid emphasis on taking instant action to implement the strategy’s operational plans.
His Majesty the Sultan expressed his satisfaction with the ‘qualitative shift’—the tangible transformation—in the functioning of the judiciary, which, he observed, broadly met the aspirations of citizens, residents and investors by providing high-quality judicial services using modern technologies.
His Majesty the Sultan lauded the efforts of members of the Supreme Judicial Council and all other personnel, including judges, members of the Public Prosecution and notary publics.
His Majesty the Sultan valued the Supreme Judicial Council members’ commitment to integrity in performing their duties. His Majesty gave his directives to intensify professional training and application of programmes for judges, Public Prosecution members and employees of the Supreme Judicial Council, to ensure that they keep pace with legal and technical developments. He also underlined the need to continuously provide the Council with specialized cadres.
Pursuant to his Royal keenness on the development and advancement of the investment sector and the consolidation of the investment environment in the Sultanate of Oman, His Majesty the Sultan gave his directives to finalize procedures for establishing the "Court of Investment and Trade". The court will be mandated to adjudicate investment and settle commercial disputes in a prompt and professional manner. His Majesty the Sultan pointed out that this step stems from the Sultanate of Oman’s vision to promote the investment environment and attract capital by providing a specialized judiciary that supports the growth of commercial activities and ensures the protection of the rights of litigants.
His Majesty the Sultan also gave his Royal directives to complete procedures towards the issuance of the Supreme Judicial Council’s organizational structure, so that the Council could continue to provide high-quality judicial services that consolidate confidence in the rule of law.
At the conclusion of the meeting, His Majesty the Sultan reiterated his full support for the independence of the judiciary. He underlined the Council's role in enhancing stability and achieving sustainable development. He also stressed the importance of cooperation between state institutions to realize an integrated national vision in the field of justice.
