Court reviews appeal in COVID-19 forgery case

TDT | Manama

Email : editor@newsofbahrain.com

The First High Criminal Court has begun hearing the appeal of a 36-year-old Asian woman sentenced to one year in prison, fined BD500, deported, and stripped of the forged document after being convicted of falsifying a COVID-19 medical certificate to miss work for 14 days.

The court adjourned the case to September 21 to appoint a defense lawyer.

During the hearing, the defendant admitted to the charges, citing financial hardship and emotional distress. She told the court she had not received her salary for over a month and had fallen into depression following the death of her daughter.

Prosecutors charged the woman with forging an official electronic record by fabricating a COVID-19 isolation certificate allegedly issued by the Ministry of Health.

The case surfaced when her Bahraini employer, who owns a beauty supply shop, received a WhatsApp message from the defendant on December 23 claiming she had tested positive for the virus.

The message included images of a positive test result and an isolation notice.

Suspicious of the documents, the employer contacted the health hotline and was informed they were falsified.