Eight convicted for Illegal Work Permits Linked to Fictitious Companies

Email: online@newsofbahrain.com

Manama: Authorities have secured multiple criminal convictions in cases involving the misuse of commercial registrations to obtain work permits for non-existent businesses, resulting in prison terms, substantial financial penalties, and permanent deportation orders.

According to the Public Prosecution, criminal courts ruled against eight defendants found guilty of acquiring and holding work permits under the names of fictitious companies, despite having no legitimate need for the permits. The cases were pursued as part of intensified efforts to combat violations linked to false commercial activity.

In one ruling, five individuals were sentenced to one year in prison and ordered to be permanently deported after unlawfully securing 93 work permits across 51 commercial records tied to companies that were later proven to be inactive or non-existent.

A separate case resulted in a defendant being fined more than sixty thousand dinars and deported after obtaining 61 work permits using 32 commercial registrations without legitimate business operations.

In a third ruling, the court imposed financial penalties totaling forty-two thousand dinars on two defendants, alongside permanent deportation, for illegally acquiring 42 work permits linked to 21 fictitious commercial records.

Investigations were launched following inspections conducted by the Labour Market Regulatory Authority, which uncovered irregularities during routine monitoring of registered businesses. Findings revealed that several companies existed only on paper and were being used solely to issue and retain work permits.

The Public Prosecution confirmed that investigations included suspect interrogations, witness statements, and reviews of official and electronic records. Upon establishing sufficient evidence, the cases were referred to court, resulting in the convictions.

Authorities reiterated that strict legal action will continue against anyone exploiting commercial registrations to bypass labour regulations and undermine the integrity of the labour market.