Omani expert Ahmed Al-Jahouri: Spending mistakenly transferred amounts of money is a legal crime

Omani legal expert Dr. Ahmed Al-Jahouri spoke about the penalties for spending funds transferred by mistake, noting that many people are unaware that this act is both legally criminal and religiously prohibited, as such money does not belong to the individual who received it in error to spend or dispose of. Al-Jahouri explained in media statements that, due to technical or human errors—such as similar names or numbers—money may be transferred from one person to another by mistake. If the recipient is informed of the error and asked to return the funds but refuses, claiming they have already spent the money or that it is not their fault, the legal expert stated that this refusal constitutes a crime under the law, since the individual knowingly possesses and uses something that does not belong to them. In such cases, the punishment ranges from three months to three years in prison.