Public employee jailed for embezzling BD27,000

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

A public employee has been slapped with five years imprisonment after he was convicted of embezzling BD27,000. He was also ordered by the High Criminal Court to pay back the same amount.

The defendant was put on trial after the Public Prosecution established he was involved in selling materials stored at the Jaafari endowments’ warehouses and embezzling the amounts he would receive in return.

The Public Prosecution heard the testimony of several witnesses who reported that the accused was in charge of the materials.

One of the storekeepers said that the accused had sold many items to scrap stores on three occasions in 2017 and he pocketed the money he received.

He also revealed that the defendant stole the money deposited into charity boxes that belong to the Jaafari endowments. Meanwhile, other witnesses indicated that the accused seized the opportunity of official holidays to visit the warehouses of the Jaafari endowments despite the management circulating warnings to all the employees and directors to not go to the warehouses on public holidays.

He allegedly stole the items and sold them to the scrap stores, taking advantage of the absence of all employees.

The Public Prosecution assigned accounting experts to estimate the value of the money embezzled by the defendant, and it was found that it was close to BD27,000.

The accused admitted that he was responsible for the warehouses, but he denied selling the items and stealing the money. But the High Criminal Court found the defendant, who is in his forties, guilty and sentenced him to five years in prison.