A seasoned lawyer has been found guilty of lodging a false police report against an attorney, previously employed at his law firm, who had sued him for non-payment of wages.
He was convicted of ‘maliciously’ complaining against his former employee as a form of reprisal against the younger man after the High Labour Court ordered payment of the money owed.
The court heard that the defendant falsely claimed that the victim forged three vital employment documents and denied that the younger man ever worked under him.
He was caught after text messages in the firm’s ‘group chat’ were uncovered, in which he congratulated the victim for officially joining the firm and being registered as an employee.
In February, the Lower Criminal Court acquitted him of lying under oath but the Public Prosecution appealed the decision at the High Criminal Appeals Court and the ruling was overturned.
He was sentenced to six months behind bars and the court rejected his objection in May.
Bahrain’s highest court, the Cassation Court, once again rejected his final appeal.
According to court documents, the victim was a law graduate in his 20s when he joined the senior’s firm as a lawyer-in-training in 2019, and officially signed with the firm in March 2020.
Eventually, the firm helped him convert his status from ‘in-training’ to a ‘working attorney’, and was even added to the firm’s Social Insurance Organisation (SIO) records as a full-time employee.
Things began to go sour when the employer stopped paying the junior attorney, which led him to raise a suit in the labour court, demanding the wages he was owed.
He won the case, as he was able to prove to High Labour Court judges that he was indeed deserving of the wages.
In his anger, the veteran lawyer of unspecified Gulf nationality, went to the police and lodged a criminal complaint against his younger colleague.
He reportedly claimed that the junior was never employed in the firm, that he was not aware that the documents were ever issued to the junior, and concluded that they were a ‘work of fiction’.
He did not provide sufficient evidence and, the court heard, it soon became apparent that the report was a falsehood meant as revenge against the former employee.
“The victim’s employment contract was signed by him and by the firm’s legal representative, who was given power of attorney by the defendant,” read the verdict.
He was authorised to sign any and all contracts related to employment and to represent the defendant before the SIO and Labour Market Regulatory Authority, the verdict added.
“The representative had received this authorisation before the victim joined the firm and his contract was signed by the representative with the defendant’s knowledge and direction, as he was in Kuwait at the time.
“He issued the victim a work contract, a work experience certificate and a list of all cases he contributed to.
“Contrary to what the defendant claims, he was fully aware of the victim’s employment and even congratulated him for joining.”
Screenshots from a group chat showed the defendant congratulating him via text in two occasions: when he attained ‘working attorney’ status and when he was accepted as an employee in SIO records.
The final nail in the false report’s coffin was bank statements proving that the junior lawyer was wired his salary from April to June 2020.
Despite his criminal conviction for dishonesty, Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments Ministry records show that the senior lawyer is still registered as a lawyer qualified to appear before the Cassation Court.
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