Muscat: Yusuf Al Haj, an Omani journalist sentenced by a lower court for his article against the Justice Ministry, has expressed disappointment at the judgement and gone into appeal with the higher court.
"I have full documentary proof supporting my claim about the corruption in the Justice Ministry therefore I am confident of getting justice at a higher court," Yusuf, 37, told Gulf News on Wednesday after a court in Oman sentenced him to five months in prison along with the editor of the tabloid Azzaman, Ibrahim Al Mammari.
The four-year-old newspaper carried an article last May in which the Justice Minister Mohammed Bin Abdullah Al Hinai and the undersecretary at the ministry were accused of fraud and corruption.
Yusuf, who had written the article along with editor Ibrahim were given a five-month sentence, which was suspended until the appeal in higher court. The newspaper's one-month suspension is also suspended until the hearing at a higher court.
Haroon Saeed, an employee of the Justice Ministry, who provided Yusuf with all the information, was also given five-month jail.
"I stick by my word as I have evidence to back it," reiterated Yusuf, who has been working as a reporter with Azzaman for the last three years.
Al Maamari started the newspaper four years ago after quitting as Editor-in-Chief with the government-owned Oman Newspaper House. Azzaman is known for its hard-hitting articles.
