Asian expats in the dock for embezzling BD1.5 m

Three Asian ex-employees of a major construction company appeared yesterday before the Lower Criminal Court after being accused of embezzling BD1.5 milllion. The trio includes the general manager, the project manager and a quantity surveyor.

They pleaded not guilty and judges at the court adjourned the hearing until August 19, 2018, to hear prosecution witnesses.

According to the company’s lawyer, Maha Jaber, the general manager had been serving in the company for 21 years and he collaborated with his co-defendants in pocketing money generated from selling movable properties owned by the company. 

“They have been doing this for three years, and the company discovered their misconduct recently. An auditing process was performed via an external auditing firm, in which it was discovered that the general manager transferred BD1.5m to his country in the past three years, although his total earnings since his recruitment don’t  exceed half million Bahraini dinars,” she added. 

Explained how the suspects manipulated the company’s accounts, she said: “The defendants used to deposit the money earned through selling the movable properties into their accounts. And then show in the records that they used it in carrying out other activities for the company in collaboration with another company which was operating in waste collection”

“The quantity surveyor was forging the reports submitted to the company about the sites in return of bribes provided by the general manager and the project manager.”