Expat businessman stranded

Manama : An Indian businessman, who used to run an aluminium fabrication company in the Kingdom, has been stranded here since 2007 because of a travel ban imposed on him.

Antony Gracious said he is “trapped in Bahrain” after a false case was lodged against him by the current owners of the company. According to him, he will need to pay over BD6,000 to get rid of the travel ban.

“I don’t know why I have to pay this money. The company claims that I made a loss during the time I had managed it. But this is not true. When I ran the company, it used to run on profit,” he said.

Speaking to DT News, Antony explained how the company that he once used to run had filed a case against him a year after he left.

“I founded the company in 1991 and ran the business alone for about three years. In 1994, I partnered with another party and my company was merged with the group,” he elaborated. “When the group started doing well and the owner hired a general manager for the group of companies. However, I did not get along with the general manager, so I opted to leave.”

“After I left, they ran the business for one more year and then they sold it. Later, they lodged a case against me claiming that I owe them BD6,000. I don’t know how they came up with this amount,” he said. Antony was at the Indian Embassy open house yesterday seeking help in rejoining with his family in India.