Arab carpenter accused of arson granted bail by court

The High Criminal Court has ordered the release of an Arab carpenter accused of arson, on bail after his employer withdrew the case against him. The carpenter had allegedly set the carpentry, where he was employed, on fire, owing to unpaid salaries.  The 53-year-old was entitled to receive BD273 from his employer, but he caused more than BD300,000 worth of damage by burning the property which is located in Sitra, according to court files.

  “I came to Bahrain in 2017, but due to the difficult working conditions and pending salaries, I filed a case against my employer with the Ministry of Labour. “My complaint was solved, but my employer did not pay my salary from January 2018 until April,” the accused said. “I filed another complaint and the Labour Court ordered my employer to settle my dues,” he added.  According to the court documents, the employer of the accused handed over him a cheque for BD273.

“The cheque bounced because there wasn’t sufficient balance in the account. After a few days, I received a call from my employer who insulted me. “At that point, I decided to take revenge,” the 53-year-old man told prosecutors. He lived up to his pledge by torching the carpentry before surrendering in front of police. His next hearing is scheduled for March 26, 2019, to hear the closing arguments.