Bahrain court acquits Asian man in fatal accident case, extends benefit of doubt

TDT | Manama     

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

A Minor Criminal Court in Bahrain acquitted a 37-year-old Asian man of charges related to causing the death of a citizen and injuring another, after reviewing video evidence of the incident, as reported by lawyer Ibrahim Khalil.

Mr. Khalil stated that the court acquitted his client of mistakenly causing the victim's death due to negligent driving and a lack of caution.

The defendant was also absolved of unintentionally harming the victim, which resulted from his negligent driving. However, he was found guilty of driving a vehicle with an expired registration certificate and was fined BD20.

Khalil mentioned attending the proceedings with his client, who denied the accusations but admitted to driving with an expired registration.

He filed a plea for his client's acquittal. Before reaching a decision, the court summoned the directly involved parties, facilitated a technical expert examination, and set a deadline for a technical report.

The court justified its ruling by stating it reviewed security footage showing the accused changing lanes and remaining in the middle lane for nine seconds before being rear-ended by the victim's vehicle.

Furthermore, the court emphasized the importance of giving the accused the benefit of the doubt if there's uncertainty.

After careful examination of the case facts, circumstances, and evidence, the court found doubts surrounding the charges against the accused and the credibility of the evidence provided by the prosecution and witnesses.

Consequently, the court acquitted the accused of all charges related to the incident.

As a result, the court fined the accused BD20 for the charge of driving with an expired registration certificate and dismissed the civil lawsuit associated with the criminal charges, as the accused was acquitted of all accusations regarding the incident.