Tailor Shop Owner and Asian man Acquitted of Working Without Permit After Video Evidence Presented

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com

A 9-second video has led to the acquittal of a tailor shop owner and an Asian man who was accused of working without a permit. The video evidence helped overturn a previous criminal order that fined the owner 1,000 dinars and the Asian man 20 dinars, along with a three-year deportation order for the second defendant.

The incident began when a judicial enforcement officer from the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) visited the tailor shop and issued a citation to the owner and Asian man. The officer claimed to have witnessed the Asian man working without a permit after questioning him. However, the owner's lawyer, Mohammed Al Sharaabi, argued that the Asian man was not employed by the owner but was present as a customer. He presented a video recording of the incident, which was only 9 seconds long.

The video showed the judicial enforcement officer entering the ground floor of the shop. The owner then ascended to the first floor, followed by the second defendant. A pair of trousers was brought down from the first floor and measured against the Asian man's waist. This supported the owner's claim that the Asian man was a customer and not an employee.

The court concluded that the judicial enforcement officer did not witness the Asian man working. The video evidence showed the Asian man coming down from the upper floor while the officer was on the ground floor.

Therefore, the court questioned the validity of the accusation and ruled in favour of the owner and the Asian man. The court accepted the objection, overturned the previous criminal order, and acquitted the defendants of the charges against them.