A trainee lawyer was found guilty of verbally disrespecting a Lower Criminal Court judge after reacting negatively to a verdict issued by the court against one of her clients.
The Bahraini woman was fined BD500 by the same court but it was lowered to BD100 following an appeal at the High Criminal Appeals Court.
However, the Cassation Court refused to acquit her or further reduce the fine, though her defence argued that she should be given a second chance as she was “a young lawyer with a bright career ahead of her”.
According to case documents, the woman cursed Iblis, or Satan, under her breath, after hearing the judge announced an unfavourable ruling in a case she had worked on.
“The April incident took place in a courtroom in Manama while the court was still in session,” the papers read.
“The defendant, who works as a lawyer-in-training, was there to hear a verdict.”
After the judge ruled that her client was guilty, she reportedly commented “Hasbi Allah ala Iblis” – a phrase used to express dismay and disappointment by cursing the devil.
When the court asked, “Did you not like the verdict?”, she responded, “I don’t like it; it’s not nice”.
The judge immediately decided to report her to the Public Prosecution for investigation.
In prosecution questioning, she justified the expression by stating that it was part of a longer phrase “La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah” (there is no power nor strength except by God), which can sometimes be followed by the cursing of Iblis.
She added that she chose to invoke God as she was affected by the verdict and reacting to it, and that it was not intended to insult or disrespect anyone.
However, prosecutors decided to direct her case for a trial at the Lower Criminal Court where she was found guilty of verbally disrespecting the court and the judge.
In the trial, her defence denied accusations against her and claimed that there was no undeniable evidence with which to convict her.
The lawyer also asked judges to give her another chance as for this incident not to be considered a prior conviction, as she is “a lawyer in the beginning of her career”.
In May last year, she was found guilty and slapped with a BD500 fine which an appeals court reduced to BD100 the following month.
She took to the Cassation Court to appeal the conviction once again, but Bahrain’s highest court stated that the appeal could not be accepted as it had no solid basis, dismissing it out of hand.
Despite the criminal conviction, the attorney appears to remain active in the legal community, and even recently published an article on verbal assault in Bahraini law.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
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