Bahraini public sector worker faces jail term, $1.5m fine on corruption charges

A court in Bahrain has sentenced a public company manager to three years in jail and fined him BD566,265 (over $1.5m) after he was found guilty of corruption.

Bahrain’s criminal court issued a verdict on the case on Tuesday, the official Bahrain News Agency (BNA) reported.

The court also ruled that the defendant refund BD566,265 (over $1.5m) to the company, pay the civil right plaintiff the amount of BD5,010 ($13,324) as a temporary civil compensation, bear the cost of the civil lawsuit and pay BD10 ($26.6) for the lawyer fees.

The defendant was accused of “deliberately undermining the interests and money of the company in which he works by using his post to make profit for other people”.

He was also charged with “disclosing work secrets to the benefit of other people without authorisation”.

The public prosecution had launched an intensive investigation into the case, listened to the witnesses’ testimonies, studied related reports and documents, and questioned the suspect in the presence of his lawyer.

It ordered to remand him in custody pending investigation and referred him for trial.

The public prosecution pledged to “spare no effort” in combating crimes related to corruption to protect public money and the work process in public facilities.