Muscat: The Primary Court in Barka has issued a ruling convicting a commercial establishment specialising in construction works for violating the provisions of the Consumer Protection Law.
The court sentenced the owner of the establishment and his business partner to one month in prison and imposed a fine of RO 1,000. They were also ordered to cover the criminal case expenses.
The verdict follows a complaint filed by a consumer with the Consumer Protection Authority (CPA), stating that he had contracted the establishment to design and install a balcony at his residence for RO 190, of which he paid an advance of RO 150. The establishment, however, failed to complete the work within the agreed timeframe. When the consumer attempted to follow up, he found the business closed, prompting him to seek a refund through the CPA.
Accordingly, the Authority initiated the procedures of evidence collection and referred the complaint to the Public Prosecution, which completed the investigation procedures and referred the case file to the court.
The court ruled to convict the establishment and its representative with one month of imprisonment and a fine of OMR 1,000 for failure to provide the service properly and failure to issue an invoice written in Arabic.
The Consumer Protection Authority affirms its keenness to enforce the laws regulating the market and calls upon all establishments and companies to fully comply with the applicable laws and regulations. It confirms that it will take legal action against anyone proven to have committed a violation, in order to safeguard consumers’ rights.
