Ministry plea to reconsider capital punishment ruling

Manama : Minister of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments, Shaikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa, has  requested the Court of Cassation to reconsider death sentence ruling in the murder of a police officer and attempted murder of other officers in a terrorist bombing.

Justice Minister Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Al Khalifa on Monday said that the decision to apply for a reconsideration of the verdict was taken following a proposal presented by the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) to the ministry.

 “A  decision was made to apply to the President of the Court of Cassation to reconsider the death sentences. The decision is subject to the privileges granted under the Court of Cassation Law that allow the Minister of Justice to request a reconsideration of sentences under certain circumstances,” the minister said.

Shaikh Khalid pointed out that such an application is made under the authority vested in the Minister of Justice to ensure that justice is served after exhausting all legal avenues to the maximum extent possible in order to uncover the truth, subject to Court of
Cassation Law.

He said that the decision was within the privileges granted under the Court of Cassation Law that allow the Minister of Justice to request the reconsideration of sentences under certain circumstances.

“The Court of Cassation has absolute discretion, based on the investigations carried out by the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) and the new documents filed in respect of evidence in the case against the convicts,” he said.

The minister underscored Bahrain’s deep commitment to safeguarding the legal rights guaranteed by its legislature to ensure that justice is served to the fullest extent of the law.

The request to reconsider the ruling was prompted by the findings of the Ministry of Interior
Ombudsman as he reviewed the case.

The Ministry of Interior Ombudsman had reviewed the case and notified the SIU of their findings. 

The SIU had in turn investigated the case and proposed a reconsideration of the sentences against the two convicts in light of uncovering new documents which were not presented to the Court that issued the sentences.

In March, Advocate General Ali Al Buainain said that he received a note from the SIU suggesting a retrial of the two defendants.

The SIU said that it was in possession of medical reports by Ministry of Interior doctors that were not available during the initial investigation of the defendants and throughout the stages of the trial.

The SIU said that, given the new documents and for the sake of full justice, it asked the justice minister to ask the Court of Cassation to reconsider its verdict.