Oman: Biosignatures Law Issued

Oman Daily Observer, 26 March 2024: Oman’s Sultan has issued Oman Sultani Decree No. 21/2024 approving the Biosignatures Law.

They issued the Decree after presenting it to the Council of Oman.

The Inspector General of Police and Customs will be responsible for issuing the Implementing Regulations to the Law.

Anything which contravenes or contradicts the Law is repealed.

The Decree will be published in the Official Gazette and will come into force the day after it is published.

For more news and content, try Lexis Middle East. Click on lexis.ae/demo to begin your Free Trial.

You can also explore the legal landscape by subscribing to our Weekly Newsletter.

Want to learn more about Lexis® Middle East? Visit, https://www.lexis.ae/lexis-middle-east-law/.

Oman: Financial Services Authority to be Established

Times of Oman, 25 March 2024: Oman’s Sultan has issued three Decrees including a Decree establishing the Financial Services Authority.

Under Oman Sultani Decree No. 20/2024, the Financial Services Authority will have its own legal personality, financial and administrative independence.

It will also report to the Cabinet and will be headquartered in Muscat.

It may establish branches in other governorates following a Decision from its board of directors.

All allocations, origins, rights, obligations and assets of the Capital Market Authority will be transferred to the Financial Services Authority.

All employees of the Capital Market Authority will also be transferred to the Financial Services Authority, along with their financial grades.

The Chairman of the board of directors of the Financial Services Authority will issue the regulations and decisions required to implement the Decree.

Until they do, the current laws, regulations and decisions will continue to be applied without prejudice to the new Decree.

Under the Decree, responsibility for regulating the profession of accounting and auditing will be transferred from the Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion Ministry to the Financial Services Authority.

The phrase Financial Services Authority will replace the phrases Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion and Section of Professions and Crafts at the Department of Corporate Affairs at the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion and the Director General of the Directorate General of Commerce wherever they appear in Oman Sultani Decree No. 77/1986 (the Law Regulating the Profession of Accounting and Auditing).

The phrase Minister of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion wherever it appears in Oman Sultani Decree No. 77/1986 will also be replaced with the phrase Chief Executive Officer of the Financial Services Authority.

The board of directors of the Financial Services Authority will be responsible for structuring the Committee referred to in Article 24 of Oman Sultani Decree No. 77/1986. It should have two or more accountants as members.

The phrase Capital Market Authority, wherever it appears in legislation will be replaced with the phrase Financial Services Authority. The phrases Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Capital Market Authority and Chief Executive Officer of the Capital Market Authority will be replaced, wherever they appear in legislation with the phrases Chairman of Board of Directors of the Financial Services Authority and Chief Executive Officer of the Financial Services Authority.

Anything which contradicts or contravenes the Decree will be repealed.

The Decree will be published in the Official Gazette and come into force on its issued date.

The Sultan also issued Oman Sultani Decree No. 18/2024 amending the Sultanate’s Criminal Procedures Law. It will be published in the Official Gazette and come into force on the day after it is pubished.

In addition, the Sultan issued Oman Sultani Decree No. 19/2024 promulgating the Sultan Qaboos University System.

The Vice Chancellor of the University will be responsible for issuing the regulations and decisions required to implement the Decree.

Until they do, the existing regulations and decisions will remain in force without prejudice to the new Decree.

Oman Sultani Decree No. 19/2024 repeals Oman Sultani Decree No. 71/2006. It also repeals anything which contradicts or contravenes the Decree.

The Decree will be published in the Official Gazette and come into force the day after it is published.

For more news and content, try Lexis Middle East. Click on lexis.ae/demo to begin your Free Trial.

You can also explore the legal landscape by subscribing to our Weekly Newsletter.

Want to learn more about Lexis® Middle East? Visit, https://www.lexis.ae/lexis-middle-east-law/.

Oman: New Building Codes to be Drafted

Oman Daily Observer, 11 March 2024: Oman’s Housing and Urban Planning Ministry has signed a cooperation agreement with the International Code Council to draft new building codes in the Sultanate.

Under the agreement, six comprehensive building codes will be drafted. They will be drafted to take national considerations into account.

They will cover safety standards, sustainability, and technology integration and will be drafted by 2026.

They will also be based on the 2021 and 2024 International Codes.

The aim is to improve building safety and construction standards in the country.

It was signed for Oman’s Housing and Urban Planning Ministry by its Housing and Urban Planning Minister, Dr Khalfan bin Said al Shueili and for the International Code Council by its Senior Vice President of Global Operations and Solutions, Judy Zakreski.

For more news and content, try Lexis Middle East. Click on lexis.ae/demo to begin your free trial of Lexis® Middle East platform.

You can also explore the legal landscape by subscribing to our Weekly Newsletter.

Want to learn more about Lexis® Middle East? Visit, https://www.lexis.ae/lexis-middle-east-law/.

Oman: State of Emergency Law Amended

Shabiba, 3 March 2024: Oman’s Sultan has issued a number of Decrees including Oman Sultani Decree No. 13/2024 amending the State of Emergency Law.

It will be published in the Official Gazette and come into force the day after it is published.

The Sultan also issued Oman Sultani Decree No. 14/2024 on the determination of the competences of the Social Development Ministry and adopting its organisational structure.

For the full story, click here.

For more news and content, try Lexis Middle East. Click on lexis.ae/demo to begin your free trial of Lexis® Middle East platform.

You can also explore the legal landscape by subscribing to our Weekly Newsletter.

Want to learn more about Lexis® Middle East? Visit, https://www.lexis.ae/lexis-middle-east-law/.

Oman: Independent Quality Checks Should be Carried Out on Fuel

Oman Daily Observer, 20 February 2024: A growing number of people in Oman are calling for independent quality checks to be carried out on fuel to ensure it is not contaminated.

The calls have grown following concerns over the quality of M91 fuel dispensed by some fuel stations in the Sultanate.

Drivers can lodge contamination concerns at their local fuel station.

In response to the calls, the Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion Ministry held a joint meeting with stakeholders to discuss consumer concerns and the calls for independent quality checks.

OQ has acknowledged responsibility for fuel quality and distribution. It has undertaken to investigate complaints, update consumers on fuel quality and damage causes and share laboratory test results.

However, that has not placated some of those who have expressed concerns.

Some have questioned OQ’s dual role as supplier and quality arbiter. They have called for an independent body to ensure objectivity.

Others have called for specific reasons for fuel quality issues to be publicly disclosed.

They have also called for complete transparency in communication with recipients and complainants.

The Ministry has authorised OQ to submit quality certificates for each product.

A joint complaint resolution mechanism has also been established and fuel companies have to receive complaints via designated channels.

These complaints must include relevant details like the fuel station’s name and location and batch number.

OQ has to track product quality, review certificates and re-examine samples together with the Ministry and Consumer Protection Authority.

Technical teams will launch investigations where there are compliance failures.

For more news and content, try Lexis Middle East. Click on lexis.ae/demo to begin your free trial of Lexis® Middle East platform.

You can also explore the legal landscape by subscribing to our Weekly Newsletter.

Want to learn more about Lexis® Middle East? Visit, https://www.lexis.ae/lexis-middle-east-law/.

Oman: Postal Sector Law Being Drafted

Oman Daily Observer, 12 February 2024: Oman’s Transport, Communications, and Information Technology Minister has announced a postal sector law is being drafted.

The announcement came as the first Arab Postal Leaders Forum got underway in Muscat.

They added the government has developed the regulatory framework in this area in line with the best global practices.

The law is being prepared together with all relevant entities.

A general policy is also being drafted to act as a roadmap to align global and local trends.

For more news and content, try Lexis Middle East. Click on lexis.ae/demo to begin your free trial of Lexis® Middle East platform.

You can also explore the legal landscape by subscribing to our Weekly Newsletter.

Want to learn more about Lexis® Middle East? Visit, https://www.lexis.ae/lexis-middle-east-law/.

Oman: Statements of Bank Assets and Liabilities Regulations Amended

Al Watan, 11 February 2024: Oman’s Central Bank has issued a Decision amending the statements of bank assets and liabilities of licensed banks in the Sultanate regulations.

Oman Central Bank Decision No. MM/201/06/23/22/2024 amends Oman Regulation No. 20/09/1980.

Under the Decision local banks must submit statements of their assets and liabilities, including a profit and loss account and all their operations and branches within the Sultanate of Oman, within their annual budget, provided that they are audited by independent auditors to the Central Bank during the first quarter of each year.

Local banks must electronically display the summary statement dating back to 31 December the previous year throughout March through the channel they conduct banking business through.

For more information, click here.

For more news and content, try Lexis Middle East. Click on lexis.ae/demo to begin your free trial of Lexis® Middle East platform.

You can also explore the legal landscape by subscribing to our Weekly Newsletter.

Want to learn more about Lexis® Middle East? Visit, https://www.lexis.ae/lexis-middle-east-law/.

Oman: E-commerce Regulations Implementation Begins

Oman Daily Observer, 5 February 2024: Oman’s Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion Ministry has announced the implementation of the e-commerce regulations has begun.

The regulations are contained in Oman Ministerial Decision No. 499/2023. The regulations stated that they would be implemented 90 days after they were published in the Official Gazette.

They have been introduced to align the Sultanate with international developments in this area.

They were introduced together with the Transport and Communications Ministry, Information Technology Ministry, the Royal Oman Police represented by the General Directorate of Customs, the Consumer Protection Authority, the Central Bank, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority Asyad Group and the ITHCA Group.

For more news and content, try Lexis Middle East. Click on lexis.ae/demo to begin your free trial of Lexis® Middle East platform.

You can also explore the legal landscape by subscribing to our Weekly Newsletter.

Want to learn more about Lexis® Middle East? Visit, https://www.lexis.ae/lexis-middle-east-law/.

Oman: Implementing Regulations to Data Protection Law Issued

Oman Daily Observer, 7 February 2024: Oman’s Transport, Communications, and Information Technology Ministry or MoTCIT has issued the Implementing Regulations to the Sultanate’s Data Protection Law (Oman Sultani Decree No. 6/2022).

Oman Ministerial Decision No. 34/2024 has been issued to provide an improved framework for personal data protection.

They also provide clarity on various provisions contained in the Law. The provisions focus on improving data privacy and establishing proper controls and procedures. Among other things, they emphasise the importance of obtaining consent before processing personal data.

They also outline the rights of data subjects and address specific scenarios such as the processing of personal data relating to children. In order to process personal data relating to children, explicit consent must be obtained from their legal guardian or custodian before their data can be processed.
In terms of processing data, a permit has to be obtained. There are a number of requirements for obtaining these permits, including a personal data protection policy being submitted and measures to address potential breaches being specified.

Permits will be valid for up to five years but can be amended, renewed or cancelled. There are also provisions on the rights of data subjects. Among other things, data subjects can withdraw consent and request modifications or updates to their data. They can also obtain copies of processed data and request the deletion of their personal information, where applicable. Where there is a data breach, data subjects must be promptly notified and informed of the actions taken to address the breach.

Elsewhere in the regulations, specific obligations are imposed on controllers and processors. Among others, they must obtain explicit consent before processing personal data and comply with controls related to the processing of children’s personal data.

Where there is a personal data breach, controllers have to notify the Ministry within 72 hours. The Ministry will assess the actions taken by the controller and may direct them to take appropriate measures to mitigate the impact of the breach.

Organisations must also appoint a Data Protection Officer or DPO. They will be responsible for overseeing data protection matters within their organisation and will consult with the controller and submit proposals to them. They will also coordinate with the Ministry on data processing issues.

Controls and conditions for inter-state data processing are also introduced. These include obtaining a data subject’s consent and assessing the level of protection provided by the receiving party.

These controls and conditions have been introduced to balance the risks and necessity of these transfers.
There are provisions on how complaints can be filed too as well as provisions on penalties for violations.
Individuals can file complaints and reports and the Minister has the authority to impose administrative penalties like warnings, suspending permits and imposing fines of up to 2,000 Rials.

Permits may be cancelled in extreme circumstances.

For more news and content, try Lexis Middle East. Click on lexis.ae/demo to begin your free trial of Lexis® Middle East platform.

You can also explore the legal landscape by subscribing to our Weekly Newsletter.

Want to learn more about Lexis® Middle East? Visit, https://www.lexis.ae/lexis-middle-east-law/.