Decree BlogSharifa is a legal intern at Decree. She has previously interned in the public sector and in private practice. She is interested in corporate law. She holds a law degree from Sultan Qaboos University.
A power of attorney is a document by which a person appoints someone they trust to act on their behalf, for example to sell a car, run a business while they are abroad, or deal with a bank or court. In Oman it is known as a wakala. The person granting the power is the principal, and the person receiving it is the agent. The primary provisions governing powers of attorney are found in the Civil Transactions Law, while the Law of Public Notaries sets out how the document is made official.
Every year, from the beginning of July until the end of September, Oman’s courts enter the “judicial holiday”, a period in which they operate under special rules set by the Judicial Authority Law. This blog post outlines what the judicial holiday means and how the courts operate during it.
Why are treaties important? Because once ratified, they have the power of law in Oman, binding courts, ministries, and businesses just like any domestic statute. They are also covered in the Basic Statute of the State, which sets out how a treaty moves from signature to the force of law.
In this post, we first define what a treaty is and look at some examples. We then walk through the two key articles of the Basic Statute on treaties, compare Oman’s approach with other states, and close with what all of this means for the private sector.