Persons writing bad checks will from July 6 be liable to be arrested and imprisoned, sources close to the Commission for Investigation and Prosecution (CIP) have said. The sources said that the date will see the Cabinet ruling on bounced checks come into effect with accused persons to be brought before Ministry of Trade settlement committees “as a temporary measure until commercial courts are set up”. According to the sources, offenses liable for arrest include writing a check for which the account holder does not have enough funds, writing a check and then withdrawing funds from the account leaving a sum lower than the value of the check, ordering that the check not be paid after it has been written, and intentionally writing or signing a check in such a way that it cannot be processed. The sources added that, “in the beginning”, complaints over bad checks will be handled by the police as a criminal offense, with public prosecution conducted through trade bill settlement offices at the Ministry of Trade and Industry. The settlement offices, which will have 30 days to issue rulings including prison and public naming in regional newspapers, may also exempt defendants from prison if they subsequently pay the sum or if a settlement is reached between the parties involved. The sources added that guilty persons who recommit any of the offenses within three years of their original convictions will face up to five years' imprisonment and a maximum fine of SR100,000.
