A man, who allegedly took an alcohol test under his brother’s name, has been accused of impersonation, misusing identification documents and theft.
Last April, a Jordanian expatriate was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after crashing his car into another vehicle on the highway, the High Criminal Court heard.
The 36-year-old allegedly lied to his brother, who was in Jordan at the time of the incident, that he needed a photograph of his CPR card and passport to open a business in his name.
Meanwhile, he used the identification to fill out an alcohol test form, allegedly falsely populating it with his brother’s personal information and submitting it to a ‘well-meaning civil servant’.
Only after calling the defendant did the Jordanian find out that his brother was in traffic police custody for an alleged drink driving offence.
A few weeks before the April incident, the man also allegedly broke into a car and stole the owner’s wallet containing a CPR card and other personal possessions.
According to the police officer who apprehended the defendant, he had been despatched to the scene of a traffic accident and suspected that one of the drivers was intoxicated.
The man was asked to present identification, arrested and taken into a patrol vehicle, but reportedly gave the officers a CPR card he had allegedly stolen in March.
On arriving at the Interior Ministry Police Fort clinic, the defendant stated that he was not the person on the card and showed the policeman another CPR card on his phone.
After his blood was drawn, both the test and the accident were recorded under the brother’s name, and the driver was taken to the General Directorate of Traffic detention centre.
The unit’s manager later caught on to the impersonation and the defendant eventually admitted to his real identity.
The court heard the actual owner of the CPR card had lodged a police report about the alleged theft and had even provided CCTV footage used to help confirm the defendant’s identity.
“In March, I came out of my house and realised that my wallet had been stolen from my car. It contained my CPR card, driver’s licence and four bank cards,” he testified.
“In April, I received a call from the General Directorate of Traffic and went there, where I found out that the defendant had used my card. I was able to positively identify him.”
Meanwhile, an Interior Ministry lab official stated that after conducting an alcohol test on a person suspected of drink driving, which turned up positive, she later received a request from the directorate to change the person’s name on the sample.
In Public Prosecution questioning, the court was told that Jordanian had admitted to asking for his brother’s ID, giving it in the clinic and using his CPR number on the alcohol test form. He was charged with using another person’s valid CPR card for his own benefit.
He has denied all charges in court. The hearing was adjourned to Tuesday for defence statements.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
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