Verdict due in boat ‘theft’ and forged ownership form

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

A man accused of forging papers to steal his friend’s boat will learn his fate on 15 July.

Prosecutors allege the 36-year-old defendant worked with a ministry employee to alter a government form used for transferring boat ownership.

The form, supposedly signed by the rightful owner, was used to register the boat under the defendant’s name at the Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications between 2022 and 2023.

False information

The case turns on claims that the accused provided false information to a ministry clerk, who accepted it without suspicion.

The boat transfer went through based on these statements. Prosecutors say the defendant knew the document had been tampered with, yet submitted it as part of the ownership process.

According to the complainant, he had purchased the boat in 2022 for his brother to use for fishing.

After his brother was fined, the vessel was kept in a stable owned by the family.

The accused, a frequent visitor, later removed it. When questioned, he claimed he was only cleaning and servicing it.

But when pressed to return it, he said he had sold it due to an unpaid debt owed by the complainant’s brother.

The complainant later found his signature had been faked on the transfer form. His brother confirmed this in his testimony. Another man said the accused had offered to sell him the boat, claiming to be the owner.

The man, who enjoyed fishing, agreed to buy it after the accused helped complete the legal paperwork.

A clerk at the small vessels registration office told the court he had handled the ownership transfer and signed the form as part of his job.

He said he followed all the usual steps and acted on the documents presented.