Government employee jailed for accepting BD1,000 bribe to help evade customs duty

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The High Criminal Court jailed a government employee and another for five years and slapped them with a fine of BD1,000 each for accepting bribes, forgery, and misusing official powers to evade customs duty. The Court also ordered the defendants to return the BD1,000 bribe they accepted for committing the crimes, said the Head of the Financial Crimes and Money Laundering Prosecution. The Public Prosecution started investigating the incident based on a report from the Customs Affairs through Anti-Corruption Crimes Department.

The report accused the first suspect of accepting bribes from the second suspect for releasing a shipment containing 1,500 ampules of growth hormones without subjecting it to customs procedures. The shipment was blocked by officers and kept at the customs office.

However, the man forged the documents saying that the shipment was sent back after handing it over to the second suspect. During interrogation, the first suspect confessed to his crimes and accepted receiving BD1,000 for helping the second suspect to release his shipment. Public Prosecution told the Court that the second suspect also confessed to his crimes and admitted handing over BD1,000 as a bribe to the first.

The Prosecution also tabled evidence supporting the statements through technical evaluation of the mobile phones used by the suspects. Investigators also produced before the court letters proving that the first suspect took BD1,000 bribe from the second.