School trio splurged stolen BD86,000 on luxury lifestyle

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

Forging documents to siphon off BD86,000 has landed three members of a technical secondary school in deep trouble, with investigators revealing they blew the stolen funds on everything from coffee shops and fashion to insurance, beauty salons and car payments.

The first defendant was sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined over BD75,000, with an order to repay the same amount. The second was handed three years and fined BD10,897, while the third received a one-year sentence and a BD790 fine. Both were also told to return the sums they had taken.

The trio, all employees at the school, are now appealing their convictions. The Fifth High Criminal Court of Appeal heard the case this week. One defendant appeared from custody, while the other two arrived from outside detention.

Judges postponed the hearing to 28 May 2025, giving time for a court expert to finalise a report on the missing funds.

The case was triggered by a report from the Ministry of Education, which uncovered financial and administrative irregularities during internal checks. The Anti-Corruption Directorate and the Financial Intelligence National Centre later confirmed that more than 200 school-issued cheques had been involved, some of which were paid into personal accounts or cashed out.

The first defendant admitted forging documents and signing cheques in his own name rather than that of suppliers. He expressed regret to the school head. The second and third admitted helping him secure and process the cheques.

An investigator said school payments were handled by the first and third defendants. A financial analyst told the court that records showed a pattern of personal spending—including clinic bills, fuel, café receipts, cinema tickets and men’s clothing.

Some vendors said their names had been used on fake invoices, while others confirmed the transactions shown on the paperwork did not match any real business. The public prosecution had pressed for the harshest penalties, saying the acts were a clear betrayal of public trust and taxpayer money.