Prosecution launches probe into expats’ employment fair

The Public Prosecution announced that it has launched an investigation into the incident of organising an illegal jobs fair for expats at the Indian Club in Manama earlier this month. Ministries and Public Bodies Prosecution Chief Prosecutor Counsellor Hassan Al Buali confirmed in a statement issued on Thursday by the Public Prosecution that the fair was organised by a dissolved expat society, which has been operating without a permit from the concerned body; Labour and Social Development Ministry.

Mr Al Buali said the prosecution summoned the concerned persons in the society and the officials of Labour and Social Development Ministry “to understand the truth and the details of the incident”. He explained that the matter was initially reported to the Prosecution by the ministry and that the society had organised the jobs fair for the members of its community, in violation of the provisions of the law of societies and social and cultural clubs.

As reported by Tribune earlier, the Mega Free Job Fair 2019 was organised by the Bahrain Tamils Unarvalargal Sangam (BTUS) on the premises of the Indian Club on September 6, 2019. The Indian Club President Stalin Joseph said in a press statement that the club was “totally misguided” by the society and that it, the club, “has nothing to do with the jobs fair”. Mr Joseph and Club Executive Committee members met with senior officials of the ministry last week, headed by the ministry’s Undersecretary Sabah Al Dossary.

They expressed apology to the officials and reaffirmed the club’s commitment to the values and laws of Bahrain since the establishment of the club more than 100 years ago. A campaign, led by several MPs, called for punishing the club by shutting it down, considering organising the job fair for an expat community while thousands of Bahrainis struggle to be employed as a “serious violation”.