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28 March 2024

Indian businessman gets 15-year jail, deportation

Published
By VM Sathish

A leading Indian businessman in Oman and former Managing Director of Galfar Engineering and Contracting Co, has been sentenced to fifteen years jail and a hefty fine of Omani Riyal 1.7 million after he was convicted in five graft cases related to bribing officials of Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), a state owned oil and gas company in the Sultanate in exchange of big contracts.

This is a continuation of several high profile corruption cases undergoing in Oman, after an Omani CEO of a state run oil company was sentenced for 23 years.

As part of a major crackdown on corruption involved in granting government contacts, several cases have been filed involving chief executive officers and managing directors of leading contracting and construction companies, which have been involved in major projects. A number of government officials directly involved in the tendering process have also been facing investigation and court cases.

Dr P Mohammed Ali, popularly known as Galfar Mohammed Ali, due to his role in developing a small contracting company into one of the leading construction companies in the region, was awarded 3 years imprisonment and a fine, in another graft case on January 12, 2014.

The verdict is subject to an appeal to the higher courts in Oman.