‘Cooking the books’: Restaurant manager in hot water for stealing BD86K; served 2-yr sentence

TDT | Manama     

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The Cassation Court has upheld the two-year prison sentence handed down to an Arab national who worked as a financial manager for a restaurant management company and embezzled over BD86,000.

According to the details of the case, the owner of the company had filed a complaint stating that the defendant abused his position to misappropriate funds by transferring money from restaurant sales to his personal bank account.

A forensic accounting report determined the total amount embezzled exceeded BD86,000.

An examination of the employment contract revealed the defendant’s role was as financial director of the restaurant chain, with authorisation to access the company bank account.

During questioning, the financial director told prosecutors he had been instructed to transfer BD81,000 in cash proceeds to the bank online, but instead embezzled BD15,000 and also misappropriated BD70,000 in cash sales.

Financial funds

The prosecution said that in 2022 the defendant embezzled financial funds belonging to his employer while working for the company.

The defendant was found to be in possession of the money due to his employment.

The lower criminal court subsequently convicted him, sentencing him to two years in prison along with deportation and ordering restitution of BD86,000.

He appealed the ruling, but the appeals court has now upheld the original conviction.

With this ruling, the defendant has exhausted all the legal options to avoid jail terms.