Legal Committee Continues Deliberations on the Draft Law to Combat Cybercrime

The Legislative and Legal Committee of the Shura Council held its nineteenth meeting of the second regular session of the tenth term (2023-2027), chaired by Dr. Ahmed Ali Al Saadi, head of the Committee, and in the presence of their Excellencies members of the committee.  The meeting was held as part of the committee’s ongoing review of the draft law to combat cybercrime, referred by the government. This process aligns with Article 49 of the Oman Council Law, Draft laws shall be referred by the Council of Ministers to Majlis Al-Shura, which shall decide on the draft by approving or amending it within three months at most from the date of referral to it. It shall then be referred to Majlis Al-Dawla which shall decide on it by approving or amending it within forty-five days at most from the date of referral to it. 
If the two majlises disagree in regard to a draft, they may form a joint committee for examining the areas of disagreement. The committee shall submit its report to the two majlises to debate it in a joint session to be chaired and called by the Chairman of Majlis Al-Dawla, and then the draft shall be voted on in the same session. The decisions shall be issued by an absolute majority of the members attending, and in all cases, the Chairman of Majlis Al-Dawla shall present the draft to the Sultan accompanied by the opinion of both majlises.

The significance of the draft law lies in its role in strengthening Oman’s legislative framework for cybersecurity by introducing effective measures to counter cybercrimes. The law aims to strike a balance between protecting society and safeguarding individual rights while taking into account technological developments that may impact the law’s effectiveness in the future.