Travel agent jailed for embezzlement and operating without license

TDT | Manama

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The Lower Criminal Court has sentenced a travel agent to three years in prison for embezzling travel booking funds and operating a tourism business without a license. The Lower Criminal Court handed down the sentence yesterday. The defendant allegedly used the misappropriated funds to cover his debts. This is not the defendant’s first offense. He was previously sentenced to one year in prison and fined BD10,000 for leaving 140 Bahraini citizens stranded in Iraq.

Complaints

The current case stems from complaints filed by several citizens who had contracted with the travel agent to arrange trips to Iraq. The agent received payments for flights and accommodation in three Iraqi cities but failed to remit these funds to the relevant service providers.

This resulted in the stranded travelers having their passports confiscated by hotels and facing temporary travel restrictions. Furthermore, the agent had not booked any accommodations or flights for the travelers, rendering their trips impossible.

Investigation

Following the complaints, the Public Prosecution launched an investigation, taking statements from the victims and requesting further inquiries from the Anti-Corruption Crime Directorate at the Ministry of Interior. The investigation uncovered the full extent of the defendant’s fraudulent activities.

During the interrogation, the defendant admitted to not paying the travel and accommodation expenses and acknowledged that he had embezzled the funds provided by the victims, using them to settle his debts.