Three Government School Officials to Face Trial for Embezzlement and Forgery

TDT | Manama

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Three employees of a government school will stand trial on charges of embezzlement and forgery, the Public Prosecution's Financial Crimes and Money Laundering Office announced today. The accused are alleged to have embezzled 86,000 dinars from school funds and forged official documents to facilitate the theft.

The investigation began after the Ministry of Education reported financial and administrative irregularities at the school, raising suspicions of criminal activity among several employees, including members of the school's finance committee and teachers.

The Financial Crimes and Money Laundering Prosecution launched an immediate investigation, interviewing the head of the ministry's internal investigation committee. The committee's findings revealed the concealment of purchase invoices and supporting documents, along with the forgery of checks, invoices, and financial records used to embezzle school funds.

A technical expert from the Ministry analysed the computers used by the accused, discovering that one of them had created and copied checks, retaining copies after altering the numbers.

Evidence also showed the acquisition of a blank signature from an authorised signatory, along with copies of fake invoices, purchase offers, and check designs belonging to various merchants. The expert also found specialised software on the computer used for creating fake invoices and purchase orders.

As part of the investigation, the Public Prosecution ordered the disclosure of the accused's bank account information to trace the movement of funds, determine their source, and track how they were used. These accounts have been frozen, and the accused have been banned from leaving the country pending the completion of the investigation.

Statements were taken from merchants involved in the forged invoices and documents. Some merchants confirmed they had never conducted business with the school, while others admitted that their transactions and documents were falsified.

The investigation, supported by the General Directorate of Anti-Corruption and Economic and Electronic Security's Anti-Corruption Crimes Unit and the National Financial Intelligence Centre, revealed that the accused received over 200 school checks, depositing some into their bank accounts and cashing others for personal use.

The main accused confessed to forging the documents and checks and depositing the funds into their accounts. The other two accused admitted to assisting in obtaining and depositing the funds.

The Public Prosecution ordered the pre-trial detention of all three accused and referred them to trial on charges of embezzlement of public funds, forgery of documents, and their use. The trial is scheduled for January 27, 2025, before the High Criminal Court.