Verdict looms in rare ‘living dead’ insurance case

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

The First High Criminal Court has set September 30 to deliver its verdict in one of Bahrain’s most unusual cases, a man accused of forging his own death certificate to secure a $500,000 life insurance payout.

The case has been dubbed the ‘living dead’ trial, involving the defendant, his brother, and his fugitive wife, who allegedly conspired to stage his death. Prosecutors charge the group with attempting to deceive a Gulf-based insurance company through falsified documents, including a death certificate stamped by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Civil Ruling Reversed

What makes the case remarkable is its rare trajectory. After the defendant’s wife filed a civil suit in 2023, a court initially ruled in her favour, appearing to validate the claim. But suspicions by the insurer quickly unraveled the story, and the civil outcome gave way to a criminal probe once investigators uncovered evidence that the man was still alive.

In the latest session, defense lawyer Umair Salah maintained his client’s innocence, while insurer’s lawyer Amal Lari pressed for damages on behalf of the company. The defendants’ brother, appearing as a defense witness, insisted the man in a court-recorded video was not his sibling, claiming he had in fact died in May 2023 and had not been seen for years.

From Policy to Probe

According to court documents, the defendant had applied for life insurance in April 2023, naming his wife as beneficiary. By August, notice of his supposed death reached the company through a brokerage firm, followed by the wife’s civil suit. But when documents were submitted, doubts arose, prompting the insurer to commission an international investigation in the Asian country where the death was alleged to have occurred. The probe revealed the certificate was fraudulent and later revoked.

Verdict Ahead

The defendants, together with the fugitive wife, now await the High Criminal Court’s ruling on September 30. For observers, the case stands as a rare instance where a claim that first passed civil scrutiny has been re-examined under criminal law, turning a potential payout into a probe.

The court’s decision will conclude a saga that has combined family disputes, highstakes insurance, and allegations of deceit, and has kept the country watching for more than a year.