Court to Deliver Verdict in Rare Case of “Living Dead” Insurance Fraud

The First High Criminal Court is scheduled to issue its verdict on September 30 in a unique case involving a man famously referred to as the “living dead” alongside his brother and wife. The trio is accused of forging a death certificate for the first defendant in order to claim insurance proceeds from a Gulf-based company, allegedly defrauding the insurer of half a million dollars.

During the previous session, closing arguments were presented. Lawyer Omeir Salah, representing the second defendant, maintained his client’s innocence, while Amal Lari, attorney for the insurance company, upheld her client’s civil claims. A key witness, the brothers’ sibling, testified that the individual shown in a court-recorded video was not his brother and noted that the voice in the recording was different. He confirmed that his brother passed away on May 27, 2023, and had not traveled to the Asian country in the past 25 years.

The witness added that he had not seen the deceased brother for nearly eight to nine years due to illness and a personal dispute. He also recounted that the second defendant had requested 200 Bahraini dinars to treat the first defendant, who had suffered a stroke, and that the first defendant was later discharged from the hospital in the Asian country. The witness further stated that he was informed of his brother’s death and received condolences from acquaintances upon seeing him in Bahrain.

The Public Prosecution charged the first and second defendants with conspiring and assisting an unknown individual in forging an official document – the first defendant’s death certificate – which bore an authentic seal from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The accused allegedly provided the necessary documents to the unknown party, who then fabricated the certificate to resemble an official document, intending to use it as genuine.

Additionally, the defendants were accused of knowingly presenting the forged death certificate to the competent court through a third party acting in good faith, contributing to the fraudulent act.

The case has drawn significant public attention due to its unusual nature and the scale of the alleged insurance fraud.