A man, originally sentenced in absentia to three years in jail and fined BD3,000 for fraudulently withdrawing BD2,490 from a businessman’s bank account, has had his conviction upheld by the High Criminal Court following a retrial.
The 36-year-old Bahraini was found to have taken advantage of the business owner’s absence by obtaining a replacement SIM card in his name, allowing him access to the victim’s BenefitPay account and enabling the unauthorised withdrawal of funds
According to court documents, the incident dates back to June 6, 2023, when the accused allegedly used the victim’s electronic signature and verification codes to activate the application and transfer funds.
The victim, a 42-year-old GCC national who spends most of his time abroad managing business interests, told the court he had granted the accused limited power of attorney to handle certain company matters in Bahrain.
However, the authorisation was restricted to opening bank accounts and did not extend to accessing funds, operating accounts or taking control of the mobile number linked to them.
Taking advantage of the victim’s absence, the defendant secured a replacement SIM card tied to the official number, enabling him to receive verification codes and transfer the money in two transactions – one to his own account and another to his daughter’s.
The case came to light when the victim, upon entering the kingdom via the King Fahad Causeway, discovered that his SIM card was no longer functioning and immediately visited a branch of his telecommunications provider.
An employee told him the SIM card may have been damaged and advised him to obtain a replacement.
However, he was not informed that a replacement SIM card had already been issued in his name earlier that same morning.
The following day, the victim attempted to use his credit card and was surprised to find insufficient funds in his account.
He contacted his bank, which confirmed that transactions had been carried out through the BenefitPay application, and then filed a report with the authorities.
Investigations led to the identification of the accused, who was subsequently referred to the High Criminal Court.
During court proceedings, a telecommunications company employee testified that the defendant had visited the branch and requested a replacement SIM card in the victim’s name.
She said she initially refused the request, as the account holder was required to be present.
However, the defendant later presented a power of attorney issued by the victim along with supporting documents.
Based on these documents, she processed the request and handed over the SIM card, only learning the following day that the GCC national had reportedly been a victim of theft.
An official from the company’s anti-money laundering team also testified that a review of records confirmed two financial transactions had been carried out – one for BD1,490 and another for BD1,000.
The defendant was initially sentenced by the court but successfully filed an objection as the verdict was issued in absentia.
The case was referred back to the High Criminal Court for a retrial.
Judges upheld the earlier verdict, sentencing him to three years in jail.
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