No grave, no funeral — but a death certificate

TDT | Manama

Email : editor@newsofbahrain.com

The First High Criminal Court has sentenced two brothers and a woman to prison after uncovering a complex scheme in which the defendants forged a death certificate abroad to fraudulently claim half a million dollars in life insurance.

Investigations revealed that the first defendant, a 44-yearold investor, faked his own death with the help of his 46-year-old brother and his wife. The trio presented a forged death certificate from an Asian country to the courts in Bahrain in an attempt to obtain the insurance payout.

Doubts surfaced when the insurance company noted that the policy had only been taken out months before the supposed death. Further suspicions were raised after the imam of a neighbourhood mosque confirmed no funeral prayers had been held, while a local gravedigger stated there was no record of burial. The son, who signed as a witness, was unable to explain where his father had been buried.

The case strengthened after video evidence showed the first defendant confessing to fabricating his own death certificate. An investigation by the insurance company also confirmed that the Asian country had cancelled the fraudulent certificate, with its embassy in Bahrain verifying the forgery.

The court sentenced the two brothers to 10 years in prison and the wife of the first defendant to one year, along with a fine of BD2,000. All three were ordered to pay BD5,001 in temporary compensation to the insurance company, and the forged certificate was confiscated. The court also ordered the deportation of the defendants after serving their sentences.

Attorney Amal Lari, representing the insurance company, welcomed the ruling and said the evidence—including video footage, witness testimony, and embassy confirmation—proved the fraud beyond doubt.

The case dates back to April 2023, when the first defendant purchased a $500,000 life insurance policy. In August that year, his wife filed a civil lawsuit claiming the payout, presenting the forged certificate. However, investigations later revealed that the man was alive, and that the fraudulent plan had been coordinated by the defendants in Bahrain and abroad.

Witnesses, including hotel staff, later testified that the second defendant openly discussed forging the death certificate and bribing officials to secure the payout.

The court concluded that the defendants had engaged in forgery, use of forged documents, and attempted fraud. The attempted crime failed only because the insurance company detected irregularities before releasing the money.