A MAN was sentenced to five years behind bars and fined BD5,000 in a money laundering case.
The High Criminal Court also ordered the confiscation of BD14,418.226 from the expatriate resident.
He will be deported upon the completion of his sentence.
The Public Prosecution said, in a statement, it had launched an investigation into claims of a transnational crime syndicate operating from Bahrain which revealed that the defendant used well-intentioned people to commit the crime with planning aid from people abroad.
“The security department managed to arrest the defendant while he was seeking to complete a suspicious banking transaction based on a report from a person whom the accused sought to implicate in his criminal acts,” said that statement.
“The defendant would look for people who purchase pre-paid credit from two telecommunication companies in Bahrain and he would sell them for a lesser value.
“His accomplices from abroad would then re-charge these numbers through the Internet services provided by the companies using stolen credit cards with the defendant receiving 10 to 15 per cent per transaction.”
The Public Prosecution interviewed witnesses – including those the defendant used to carry out his scheme – and examined his phone which had incriminating evidence.
According to the statement, when faced with the evidence the defendant admitted to the crime and provided a detailed statement regarding his methods and overseas accomplices.
Crimes
The Financial Crimes and Money Laundering Prosecution head highlighted the positive role played by the person reporting the crime immediately upon realising the circumstances.
He added that this aided the police in capturing the defendant before attempting to flee with the money while also highlighting the efforts exerted by the department to investigate the crime and follow the money trail.
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