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The president and treasurer of a charity organisation have been found guilty of sending more than BD76,000 in donations overseas without a licence, and have lost their final appeal at Bahrain’s highest court.
The charity claimed that they focused on sending aid to underprivileged communities in impoverished countries, as well as digging wells, building mosques and printing Qurans for them.
Last October, the two Bahrainis were convicted in the Lower Criminal Court, which fined them BD500 each and ruled to confiscate the funds in question, though the amount was not specified in court documents.
Upon appeal at the High Criminal Appeals Court, judges accepted a reaudit of the charity’s finances and amended the confiscated amount to BD76,753, but it is not known what the initial calculation was.
The defendants lodged a final appeal at the Cassation Court, which rejected it as it was filed after the designated date for lodging pleas.
In Bahrain, it is not allowed for a non-governmental organisation to transfer funds abroad, or accept donations from outside the country, without a permit from the Social Development Ministry.
Non-licensed donations are criminalised by two decree-laws from 2013 and 2014, which regulate and organise the collection of money for public purposes.
The appellants were convicted under an article in the 2013 law that punishes sending or accepting funds which ‘go against the morals, rules and regulations of Bahrain’s constitution and laws’.
If a licensed organisation violates the terms of the permit, the ministry can issue a decision to cancel the permit, stop the fundraising work and confiscate the collected funds.
Funds which are confiscated are then spent for the ‘public benefit’ as the ministry sees fit.
Public records show that the charity is headquartered in Riffa.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
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