Extradition Of Criminals According To Omani Law

• Law Firm: Sariya Al Hadi & Ali Al Rashdi & Co.
• Subject Matter: Criminal Law, Crime
• Author: Sariya Al Hadi & Ali Al Rashdi & Co
• Published date: 08 February 2023

The Sultanate of Oman joined the International Criminal Police Organization "the INTERPOL" in 1972. The INTERPOL Muscat is responsible for implementing the requirements of the Extradition Law promulgated by Royal Decree No. 4/2000, which defines the cases in which detention is permissible and the cases in which the extradition request is not responded to. The law regulates the mechanism for submitting requests for the arrest and deportation of wanted criminals to the requesting country.

Types of requests that are submitted to the INTERPOL

The state member submits an electronic request to the INTERPOL in respect of a certain person. The requests that the member can submit are diverse, including:

- Request for the arrest of a wanted person;

- Collection of additional information about the identity of these persons;

- Warning in respect of the persons who have committed criminal offenses and are likely to commit similar offenses in other countries;

- Request to help locate missing persons, particularly minors, and other requests

Notices usually contain two types of information. The first type is the identity details, which include physical descriptions, pictures, occupation and spoken languages. The second one is the judicial information about the accusation against the person, the law applicable to the crime or under which he was convicted, and the actual or potential maximum penalty.

The Red Notice issued by the INTERPOL

The Red Notice is a request to law enforcement agencies worldwide to locate and temporarily detain an offender pending extradition or taking a specific legal action. The INTERPOL issues the Red Notice upon the request of a country member against fugitive offenders wanted for prosecution or to serve a sentence issued against them by the requesting country.

The Royal Oman Police (ROP) is the official body responsible for investigation and inspection procedures and the arrest of wanted persons, while the Public Prosecution is in charge of interrogation and preventive detention of wanted persons, preventing them from traveling or releasing them according to the circumstances of the case.

Cases in which criminals may be extradited

The court is competent to hear extradition requests and the documents to be submitted for criminals' extradition:

Muscat Criminal Court of Appeal shall hear extradition requests. Article 11 of the Law No. 4/2000 requires the submission of the following documents after being officially certified and sealed...