Bahrain court acquits businessman of embezzlement

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The High Appeals Court has acquitted a businessman who was earlier sentenced to two years in prison for embezzlement after participating with two others in purchasing a popular GCC play.

The man agreed with two others, including the plaintiff, to purchase the play, settling to pay 50% of the total amount, while the remaining 50% to be equally covered by the other two men, 25% apiece.

The trio agreed to share the losses and the profits as per each person’s percentage.

However, according to the man’s lawyer Islam Abdulrahman Ghunaim, he covered the full amount, paying almost BD31,000 to purchase the rights of showcasing the play in Bahrain, and this includes preparing a theatre to accommodate it.

The plaintiff claimed that the businessman didn’t transfer to them the profits generated from the play after he paid his share as per the signed deal, and this was refuted by the lawyer who underlined that the money sent to his client was mainly to cover the costs.

“My client completely financed the project via his own money, and the duo involved in the deal didn’t live up to the agreement terms.

He submitted to the Public Prosecution all the documents that confirmed the same,” Al Ghunaim said in his closing argument.

An expert who looked into the case also cemented the lawyer’s claims, affirming that the businessman didn’t owe any money to the plaintiff after examining all the documents submitted by both of them.

The defendant was earlier sentenced to two years in prison after he was found guilty by the High Criminal Court.