Labour recruitment agent fined, jailed in Oman

Muscat: The owner of a domestic labour recruitment agency has been sent to prison for two months and fined by the Public Authority for Consumer Protection (PACP).

The preliminary court in Bahla issued a judgment against the accused for violating the Consumer Protection law, after he refused to refund three customers who paid money to hire domestic help from his agency. The accused refused to bring domestic workers for the three consumers.

The case began when the department received a complaint from three consumers against manpower office breach of service. "The consumers contacted an agency officer to hire a domestic worker for OMR1,500. However, the agent failed to deliver domestic workers for them," the PACP said in its report.

The consumers demanded that the recruitment office refund their money, but they did not, which led them to file complaints with the authority, who took the necessary action.

After the PACP investigation, the case was transferred to the Public Prosecution, who took it to court. The accused was sentenced to two months in prison and fined, in addition to refunding the consumers as well as paying legal expenses.