Ministry Workers Face Trial for Embezzlement, Forgery in ‘Productive Home’ Scheme

TDT | Manama     

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The Public Prosecution has referred three Ministry of Social Development employees, including one retired individual, to criminal trial for their alleged involvement in forgery of official documents, embezzlement of public funds, and causing intentional and unintentional harm to public finances.

In a statement, the Public Prosecution announced that a female official from the same ministry has been referred to the relevant administrative body for disciplinary action due to her negligence and failure to supervise and monitor work in the sector under her supervision, which contributed to the crime.

The case originated from an investigative audit conducted by the National Audit Office on the “Productive Home (Khatwa)” programme.

The audit revealed that the accused individuals issued false statements for programme participants, claiming they were working from home when in reality they were not.

This enabled the participants to benefit from optional insurance and purchase of service years retroactively from the General Organisation for Social Insurance (GOSI), without any legal basis.

Further investigations by the Anti-Corruption Crimes Department of the General Directorate for Combating Corruption, Economic and Electronic Security uncovered the involvement of the accused employees in issuing the forged statements and their scheme to commit the crime.

The Public Prosecution was notified of the findings, and subsequently took over the investigation.

During the investigation, the Public Prosecution reviewed the statements in question, heard witness testimonies regarding the procedures for adding periods of service and registering beneficiaries, and investigated the process of obtaining the forged statements.

The accused individuals were then nabbed, interrogated, and confronted with the evidence.

Based on the overwhelming evidence gathered against them, the Public Prosecution referred them to criminal trial, with the first hearing scheduled for May 28, 2024, before the High Criminal Court.

The Public Prosecution also referred the female official from the Ministry of Social Development to the relevant administrative body for disciplinary action.

The investigation revealed that she had failed to fulfill her job duties and responsibilities, resulting in serious negligence and neglect in monitoring and supervising work, which allowed the accused individuals to commit their crimes and register ineligible individuals for retirement benefits with the GOSI.