Two Asian Women Acquitted of Practicing Dentistry Without a License

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com   

The High Appeals Court has acquitted two Asian women of the charge of practicing dentistry without a license, overturning a previous ruling that fined them 1,000 Bahraini dinars and ordered their deportation. The court determined that the women were present in the dentist's office solely for cleaning purposes, which was their designated job at the medical centre.

Lawyer Shaikh Rashid Al Khalifa argued that the women were wrongly accused by the judicial police officer who filed the complaint, claiming they were practicing dentistry without a license. The officer's claim was based on the women's statement that they were performing cleaning tasks in the dental department of the clinic and assisting the dentist. The officer noted that the dentist had confirmed his assistant was on leave, leading to the conclusion that the women were illegally practicing dentistry.

The prosecution charged the women with practicing dentistry without a license in Bahrain during 2023, claiming they were operating without authorisation from the relevant authorities. The lower criminal court initially found them guilty and imposed the aforementioned fine and deportation order.

However, the defendant's lawyer appealed the verdict, arguing that the women did not commit any criminal act as defined by Article 22 of the Criminal Code. This article states that a person cannot be punished for a crime unless their actions directly resulted in it, and that individuals are only accountable for their own actions, not those of others.

The lawyer further argued that the women did not perform any actions constituting the crime in question and that all evidence supported this claim. He pointed out that there was no confession or admission from the women acknowledging they were practicing dentistry without a license. Instead, they confirmed their role was solely cleaning. Furthermore, witnesses testified that all dental assistants were licensed and that the women were only responsible for cleaning. Their presence in the dentist's office was solely for this purpose.

He also argued that there was insufficient evidence to convict the women. "The case lacked any technical or laboratory evidence or even witness testimonies confirming their involvement in the alleged offense," he stressed. The lawyer emphasised that the women's presence in the medical centre was natural, as it was their workplace for cleaning duties. "Their presence in the dentist's office alongside the dentist and assistant was for cleaning purposes and nothing more," he pointed out.

The court, after reviewing the evidence and arguments, ultimately accepted the lawyer's defense and acquitted the two women, clearing their names and preventing their deportation.