Conviction upheld for unauthorised donations

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com   

The Cassation Court, Bahrain's highest court, has upheld a conviction against two individuals accused of donating funds to organisations outside the Kingdom without obtaining the necessary authorisation.

The court also ordered the confiscation of funds equivalent to the amount illegally donated.

The case involved two individuals who were found guilty of donating funds to entities outside Bahrain between 2022 and 2023, in violation of the country's regulations requiring prior authorisation for such donations.

The Lower Criminal Court initially sentenced each individual to a fine of BD500 and ordered the confiscation of the funds collected. Both individuals appealed the verdict, as did the Public Prosecution.

The Court of Appeals subsequently upheld the conviction but amended the amount of confiscated funds to BD76,653, which was the total amount collected by the organisation through the donations.

The individuals then appealed the Court of Appeals' decision to the Court of Cassation. However, the Court of Cassation rejected the appeal on procedural grounds, stating that the appeal was filed beyond the legally mandated deadline.