Court to announce verdict in Qatari funding case in April

The Supreme Court of Appeal yesterday upheld the verdicts against two Bahraini men found guilty of receiving funds from a Qatari minister to disrupt the Parliamentary elections last November. The Fourth High Criminal Court, in its February 6 judgment, awarded the first accused a five-year jail term and a fine of BD2,000.

The Court gave the second accused a three-year jail term and BD1,000 penalty. The first suspect was also a candidate in the Parliamentary elections here. Court files say he was arrested, upon his arrival in the Kingdom from Qatar through Kuwait last October, with BD12,000 in undeclared cash. Further investigations proved that the suspects often received money from his Qatari contact also a former Qatari Interior Minister Abdullah bin Khalid Al Thani.

Transactions were made either through bank accounts or received by hand from Qatar by making frequent visits. Customs officials arrested him while he was returning from one such visit to collect cash from Qatar. Investigators also found that the suspect received the money to support his campaign for the 2018 parliamentary elections.

In return for the cash, the suspect was bound to serve Qatari interests by harming the Kingdom’s legislative works from the Parliament. Officials recorded the arrests at the Bahrain International Airport. During the investigation, the first suspect denied the accusation leveled against him by claiming that he ‘forgot’ to declare the money and was not ‘attempting to hide’.