Two Men Sentenced to Three Years for Tamkeen Fraud

TDT | Manama

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The Lower Criminal Court has sentenced two individuals to three years in prison and imposed fines totaling BD6,000 for defrauding the Labour Fund, Tamkeen. A third defendant was acquitted.

The court found the two guilty of forging employment contracts and misappropriating public funds, ordering the confiscation of the fraudulent documents. The first defendant was fined BD5,000, while the second received a BD1,000 fine.

The case originated from a complaint filed by Tamkeen after the Anti-Corruption Directorate uncovered the fraudulent scheme. The investigation revealed that the owner of a company, in collaboration with two accomplices, submitted falsified employment contracts for 23 workers to Tamkeen. These contracts falsely claimed that the workers were employed by the company, enabling the defendants to fraudulently obtain BD86,600 in support funds.

Tamkeen's internal audit and site visits indicated that, despite the company being registered with the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and the Social Insurance Organisation, it was not operational at its registered address or any other location. Additionally, none of the purported employees were working there.

The Public Prosecution interrogated the company owner and the two accomplices, presenting irrefutable evidence against them. The convicted individuals were remanded in custody, while the company owner was apprehended. Testimonies were gathered from Tamkeen representatives and the individuals falsely listed as employees.

Following the investigation, the Public Prosecution referred the case to court, leading to the convictions.