A Businesswoman and an investor are being tried in court on charges of allegedly laundering more than BD2.5 million.
The 39-year-old Egyptian woman is accused of laundering money which was embezzled from a bank in Qatar, according to court documents in 2018.
She then allegedly had the illegal funds transferred to her bank account in Bahrain, and with the money she is said to have bought properties worth BD2.6m in Bahrain which included a building in Juffair worth BD1.3m, a building in Amwaj for BD950,000 and a house and land in Juffair worth BD347,000 in September, October and November 2018.
However, she did not appear for her first hearing at the High Criminal Court yesterday and is standing trial in absentia.
The Jordanian investor, who is in custody, denied aiding and abetting yesterday.
He is said to have helped her purchase the properties despite allegedly knowing about the illegal funds.
In addition, his brother-in-law, a bank employee in Qatar, is said to have transferred the illegal funds to her.
“I carried out investigations in connection with a money laundering incident,” a 36-year-old detective said in his statement to prosecutors.
“The huge amount of money she (businesswoman) received in a small period of time in her bank account made us feel suspicious; it did not match her income.
“Her co-defendant’s brother-in-law embezzled a large amount of money from a bank in Qatar which he then transferred to the woman.
“She then bought several properties in Bahrain in an attempt to conceal the source of the illegitimate funds.
“She also established the business in Qatar from the embezzled money.”
The female defendant is also said to have transferred some of the funds to her father back home.
The trial has been adjourned until Wednesday for review.
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