The Middle East Legal Framework

Prior to 1971 the sharia courts had jurisdiction over all civil and criminal matters, as well as personal status affairs in the sultanate of Oman. However, following the succession of Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said, the judicial system was reformed and Sharia Courts now only govern matters related to family disputes and inheritance.

Taxation in Oman is the responsibility of the Ministry of Finance (MoF) and the Secretariat General for Taxation. The framework is mainly governed by the following laws:

As one of the most democratic states in the GCC, Kuwait has an economy largely based on its petroleum wealth. The legal system has been influenced by Egyptian and French law, as well as Islamic sharia principles, though the latter apply only to family law-related matters. Although the lawmaking process was not very active in the early-mid...

TYPES OF COMPANIES: The Companies Law No. 22 of 1997 (Companies Law) offers investors several types of companies for incorporation and investment in Jordan, the most common of which are the Limited Liability Companies (LLC), Private Shareholding Companies (PSC) and Public Shareholding Companies (PLC...

Bahrain’s Bankruptcy and Composition Law, promulgated by Legislative Decree No. 11 of 1987, aims to establish a balance between creditor and debtor interests. Honest and unfortunate merchants who suspend payment of their commercial debts are eligible to file for bankruptcy and conclude a conciliation with their creditors. The law also protects...

Before 1971 the Sharia Courts had jurisdiction over all civil and criminal matters, as well as personal status matters in the sultanate of Oman. However, after the succession of Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said, the judicial system was reformed, and Sharia Courts now govern only those matters relating to family disputes and inheritance law.