A Jaffari Endowments employee will appear before the High Criminal Court on charges of embezzling around BD500,000 in public funds intended for charitable assistance, forging official records and laundering the proceeds of the alleged crimes.
Details of the proceedings were announced by the Head of the Financial Crimes and Money Laundering Prosecution.
An investigation was launched after the Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments Ministry reported suspected financial irregularities involving an employee.
According to prosecutors, extensive investigations revealed that the accused allegedly diverted charity funds allocated to needy beneficiaries into his personal bank account over a prolonged period.
A three-member committee from the National Audit Office (NAO) was appointed to review and examine the transactions, while prosecutors also ordered the disclosure and freezing of the suspect’s bank accounts, assets and properties.
Evidence gathered through the investigation, including findings from the Anti-Corruption Crimes Directorate and a financial analysis prepared by the National Centre for Financial Investigations, allegedly showed that the employee embezzled BD483,107 from charitable aid cheques issued by the General Directorate of Jaffari Endowments.
Prosecutors said he deposited the funds into his personal account and used them for private expenses, including the purchase of a property and two vehicles.
Investigators further alleged that he attempted to embezzle an additional BD58,000 in the way before being detected.
The defendant is accused of creating and forging applications for charitable assistance using fictitious names before presenting them to the relevant committee within his workplace. After obtaining approval, he allegedly collected the issued cheques and appropriated the funds for himself.
Authorities also claim he manipulated and altered data within the directorate’s electronic system to facilitate and conceal the fraud.
He has been referred in custody to the First High Criminal Court, which is scheduled to hear the case on June 30.
&uuid=(email))