Hotel Owner and Employee Jailed for Tamkeen Fund Fraud

TDT | Manama

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A Criminal Court has sentenced a hotel owner and an employee to two years in prison each and imposed a fine of 5,000 dinars for fraudulently obtaining 39,766 dinars from the Tamkeen labour fund through forged employment contracts.

The court has also ordered the confiscation of the fraudulent documents. The defendants exploited the national employment programme by submitting false paperwork to claim wage support for non-existent employees. The scam was uncovered when the Tamkeen fund’s violations committee found that the hotel, listed as operational, was actually closed and had no employees.

The investigation, initiated by a complaint from the Public Prosecution based on a Tamkeen fund report, was led by the Anti-Corruption Crime Directorate of the General Directorate of Anti-Corruption and Economic and Electronic Security. They discovered that the hotel owner and the employee responsible for transactions had fabricated employment contracts for Bahraini workers registered with the Social Insurance Organisation (SIO).

Further scrutiny by the Financial Crimes and Money Laundering Prosecution office, including witness interviews and document verification, confirmed the forgery. The misappropriated funds were traced to the hotel’s bank account. After interrogation and review of evidence, the defendants were referred to the Minor Criminal Court, which issued the conviction.

The Deputy Head of the Financial Crimes and Money Laundering Prosecution commended the Public Prosecutor for safeguarding public funds and ensuring accountability. He urged the public to remain vigilant and report any suspected misuse of public money.