Friday 26 / July / 2024
Muscat: Aman awaiting trial for writing bad cheques tried to leave the country on another citizen’s passport, according to police.
The accused was arrested at the Muscat International Airport on charges of impersonation as he attempted to flee the country to avoid trial, the Royal Oman Police (ROP) announced.
“The Wadi Saa police station arrested one citizen on charges of impersonation while attempting to exit the Sultanate using another citizen’s passport,” according to an ROP report.
“The passport officer noticed that there was a discrepancy between the passport and the person in front of him, and after further investigation, it became clear that the accused was arrested on civil claims for issuing empty cheques,” the report added.
Also read: Don't sign a cheque you can't honour, advise lawyers in Oman
More people are going to jail for writing cheques they cannot honour, according to senior lawyers and advice groups. Legal experts in Oman have been urging those who are unable to meet their financial obligations not to write cheques they cannot pay.
The number of cheques that bounced in 2016 in Oman reached 373,082, up from 282,209 in 2015, representing a 32 per cent increase, a Central Bank of Oman report has revealed.
“The sentence issued will be according to the amount of money owed, and this could range from one month to one year. I believe the law is correct in dealing with these bounced cheques. It is a crime, because cheques are an instrument of payment, just like cash,” said Mohamed Al Tayib Abennour, senior counsel, Department of Litigation at Al Alawi and Co.
