TWO men accused of stealing more than BD20 million from a telecom company have been acquitted of all charges.
The High Criminal Court yesterday decided that there was insufficient forensic evidence to make the charges stand.
The telecom company’s Bahraini partner, 38, has been on trial at the High Criminal Court since 2017 on charges of fraud, forgery, embezzlement and money laundering.
An expatriate businessman, 58, was also standing trial for aiding and abetting the alleged crimes between 2011 and 2015.
The verdict has been postponed twice since March 31, but both men were yesterday found innocent and each ordered to pay BD20 legal fees.
The 38-year-old defendant was earlier accused of embezzling more than BD20m over a four-year period, including allegedly pocketing more than BD14m after failing to carry out maintenance work through another company he owned.
The GDN earlier reported that a woman from an audit firm had compiled a report indicating criminal activity, which was presented in court with prosecutors claiming the defendant also made BD1m in profits from the telecom company by allegedly forging official company documents.
Both defendants had pleaded not guilty. Defence lawyers, representing the Bahraini defendant, told the leading judge that their client had been set up by other businessmen, while another lawyer said the Public Prosecution did not carry out a proper investigation.
Procedures
However, a Public Prosecution representative said legal procedures had been carried out in the case.
The GDN reported last year that a British citizen, who worked for the telecom firm for five years, told judges that he had no idea about the alleged theft.
He said he was “stunned” to learn from a report by an auditing firm that criminal activity had allegedly taken place, while a former Bahraini executive director of the company previously said that the 38-year-old defendant had pocketed BD29m through fraud and embezzlement.
In addition, the former Bahraini executive director testified that the firm supplied WiFi to protesters camped at Pearl Roundabout during the 2011 unrest.
All the accusations were thrown out by the court yesterday and the defendants acquitted due to lack of evidence.
reem@gdn.com.bh
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