Stolen chequebook scheme nearly ruins Bahraini businessman’s life

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsobahrain.com

Betrayed by years of misplaced trust, a Bahraini businessman found himself at the centre of a fraud scandal after his signed blank chequebook was stolen and used to drain his finances, leaving him facing mounting debts and legal battles.

The trouble began when the businessman, relying on an Asian manager to handle his dealings with various companies, left a signed chequebook in his desk drawer. What he thought was a practical move for convenience turned into his downfall when the manager betrayed him, stealing the chequebook to set a conspiracy in motion.

Scheme

The manager, working with the owner of a rival company, carefully forged a scheme. They filled out cheques with large, convincing sums and channelled the money into the accomplice’s business. This went unnoticed for a while, with the victim oblivious to the financial haemorrhage taking place under his nose.

Flurry of demands

The businessman was eventually blindsided by a flurry of demands from creditors and legal notices. Struggling to comprehend what had happened, he discovered his chequebook had been weaponised against him. Court rulings soon followed, threatening to wipe out his business entirely.

Efforts to prove the chequebook had been stolen fell flat, as the schemers had not only exploited his trust but also leveraged their prior business ties with his competitors to create an air of legitimacy around their fraud.

Uphill battle

This left the businessman fighting an uphill battle against mounting claims, as the stolen cheques were cashed repeatedly.

Desperate for help, he turned to lawyer Fatima Al Khayat. With lawyer Aisha Ahmed and their team, they painstakingly combed through every piece of evidence and witness statement. Their persistence paid off when they managed to prove that the manager and his accomplice had misused the cheques for unlawful gain.

Hard-won victory

The court cleared the businessman of wrongdoing, marking a hard-won victory. But Al Khayat and her team didn’t stop there. They filed a civil suit against the fraudsters to recover the stolen money and seek damages for the financial and emotional harm inflicted on their client.

The High Civil Court ruled in their favour, ordering the culprits to repay the stolen funds, provide additional compensation, and cover all legal costs and fees.