Arguments Due in Car Sale Fraud Case

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com

The High Criminal Court has adjourned the trial of a 40-year-old man accused of selling a woman's car without her knowledge until August 18th for legal arguments by the defendant's lawyer. The defendant previously denied the charges during a previous hearing.

The case stems from an incident where the victim's father claimed he agreed to sell his daughter's car to the defendant for 2,500 Bahraini dinars. He received a 200 dinar deposit for repairs before transferring ownership. He also handed over the car's original registration document and the victim's identity card. However, he was shocked to discover that the defendant had transferred ownership of the car without the victim's knowledge or consent when he visited the General Directorate of Traffic.

A witness, who works in the car buying and selling business, testified that he knew the defendant from 2021 and had dealt with him several times before discovering he was a fraudster. The witness claimed the defendant contacted him about a car owned by a family member, which he agreed to buy after inspecting it. He paid the defendant the purchase price and agreed that the defendant would handle the ownership transfer process.

The witness stated that the defendant provided him with the car's original registration document, the victim's identity card, and a completed and signed ownership transfer form with the owner's signature. He filled in the buyer's details, signed the form, and handed it to the clearing agent, who then transferred ownership of the car.

A traffic department employee confirmed that he works in the vehicle licensing department and is responsible for vehicle ownership transfers, number plate replacements, and registering imported vehicles. He stated that the disputed ownership transfer form was signed by him in the course of his duties.

The Public Prosecution charged the defendant, who resides in the Southern Governorate, with collaborating with a good-faith employee in forging an official document, specifically a vehicle registration form issued by the General Directorate of Traffic. The defendant allegedly forged the owner's signature and used the forged signature to transfer ownership of the car to the buyer. The employee relied on the forged signature to transfer ownership.

The defendant is also accused of using the forged document for its intended purpose, knowing it was forged. He presented the car to the buyer, who then presented it to the clearing agent, who in turn presented it to the General Directorate of Traffic, allowing the clearing agent to transfer ownership to the buyer.

The court will hear legal arguments from the defendant's lawyer on August 18th before reaching a verdict.