Bahraini Man's Six-Month Sentence Confirmed for Using Brother's Driving License to Evade Arrest

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com   

The High Appeals Court has upheld a six-month prison sentence for a Bahraini man who presented his brother's driving license as identification to the Dry Dock Police Station.

The man, who was wanted for a previous offense, attempted to use the forged document to avoid arrest.

The Public Prosecution had charged the man with using a genuine official document, the driving license, to enter a restricted area and also with collaborating with a good-faith employee in forging an official document.

This document was a statement attributed to his brother, related to police procedures at the Dry Dock Police Station, where the license was presented.

A police officer testified that upon receiving a report from the Dry Dock Police Station about the man's apprehension for entering a restricted area, he requested identification.

The man presented a driving license, which was later found to belong to his brother. He was then brought to the police station for further investigation.

The officer further stated that the man claimed to be his brother during the statement recording process and forged the document by signing it as his brother.

Moments before being detained, the man confessed that the driving license belonged to his brother, attempting to evade punishment due to his outstanding warrant.

An expert report on forgery confirmed that the driving license, although genuine and issued by the General Directorate of Traffic, had undergone systematic erasing of some letters and numbers, as well as the personal photo, in an attempt to conceal its original features.

The High Appeals Court's decision confirms the original sentence, highlighting the seriousness of the crime and the importance of upholding legal accountability.