The Cassation Court yesterday dismissed the final appeal of an expat who was sentenced to two months in prison and fined BD1,000 for drunk driving and property damage.
Since the convicted man did not appear before the court to lodge his appeal, the judges ruled that he could not contest the verdict.
According to Bahraini law, an appellant has to be present in court for an appeal to be eligible for consideration.
The expat, whose nationality was not specified, had earlier been found guilty by the Lower Criminal Court of driving under the influence recklessly.
He was convicted of getting behind the wheel intoxicated to an extent that made him lose control of the vehicle, resulting in damage to the property of other people.
The court set a bail of BD100 to temporarily halt the two-month sentence. After failing to get the verdict overturned at the High Criminal Appeals Court, he appealed to the Cassation Court.
However, Bahrain’s highest court requires an appellant to hand himself in to serve the sentence a day before the case is to be heard, and if he does not, the appeal is automatically dismissed.
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