Former Asian Employee Sentenced for Stealing Company Vehicle and Forging Transfer Documents

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com

A former employee of a Bahraini company has been sentenced to one year in prison for stealing a company vehicle and forging transfer documents. The High Criminal Court also ordered the defendant's deportation from Bahrain after serving his sentence and the confiscation of the forged document.

The 43-year-old Asian national, who worked as a plumber for the company, was entrusted with the vehicle for work purposes. When the company closed in 2021 and the owner dismissed all employees, including the defendant, he was instructed to return the vehicle. However, the defendant refused to comply.

In January 2024, the company owner, through his lawyer, discovered that the vehicle had been transferred to another company. A subsequent investigation revealed that the defendant had forged the transfer document, including the signature of the original owner and the company stamp.

The defendant had contacted a vehicle transfer agent and provided him with a completed transfer document, bearing forged signatures and stamps. The agent, unaware of the forgery, processed the transfer at the General Directorate of Traffic.

A forensic expert confirmed that the defendant had forged the data on the transfer document and the signature of the buyer. The Public Prosecution charged the defendant with theft, using a forged official document, and participating in the forgery of an official document in collaboration with a traffic department employee who acted in good faith.

The defendant denied the charges during his trial. However, the court found him guilty based on the testimony of the company owner, the forensic expert, and the traffic department employee.