MUSCAT — Oman’s Public Prosecution said labour law violations were the most common crimes recorded in 2025, followed by cheque-related offences, as total cases rose sharply from a year earlier, according to figures released at its annual media briefing on Monday.

The Public Prosecution said it registered 55,164 cases in 2025, a 19% increase compared with 2024. Of these, 52,553 were misdemeanours and 2,593 were felony cases.

Crimes under the Labour Law topped the list with 22,309 cases, reflecting continued pressure points in Oman’s labour market. Cheque-related crimes were the second most prevalent, with 10,482 cases, while offences under the Foreigners’ Residency Law ranked third at 9,493 cases, the data showed.

The number of defendants recorded during the year rose 24.7% to 73,391, with men accounting for 89.2% of suspects. Foreign nationals made up 47.5% of the total, while juveniles represented 1.6%, according to the prosecution.

Regionally, Muscat governorate recorded the highest number of cases at 23,748, followed by North Al Batinah with 10,744, and Dhofar with 6,179. The Royal Oman Police was the largest source of case referrals, submitting 38,270 reports, followed by the Ministry of Labour with 9,198, the prosecution said.

The briefing also highlighted a continued shift toward digital services. Electronically filed cases rose to 54,276, up 19.2% year on year, while the Public Prosecution achieved an 82% score on the government’s digital transformation index, an increase of 3 percentage points.

Judicial orders climbed 17.5% to 307,375, while investigation records fell 4.8% to 79,266. Total court rulings increased 4.7% to 22,423 judgments, of which 19,176 were enforced and 3,247 remained unenforced, the Public Prosecution said.