Theft at Bahrain's largest public pharmacy

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Investigators have uncovered a massive fraud of nearly BD 38,000 at the largest public pharmacy in Bahrain. Two pharmacists at the Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) pharmacy allegedly embezzled around 244,000 prescription tablets, revealed Financial Crimes and Money Laundering Prosecution Advocate General Nayef Youssef Mahmood.

One of the suspects also worked at another pharmacy, which is affiliated with the scam. According to investigators, the suspects took home close to 244,000 prescription tablets worth around BD38,000 from SMC pharmacy.

Police charged them with misappropriation of public funds and negligence of responsibilities. They are to face trial before the High Criminal Court and have confessed to their crimes.

“They confessed to taking advantage of their jobs and exploiting the absence of monitoring and inventory process at the pharmacy by their direct and higher officials,” said Mr Mahmood. “The defendants began to embezzle various types of medicines for their personal use, their relatives and acquaintances. The crimes occurred at the SMC pharmacy, in which they worked and at another pharmacy affiliated with the same supervisor of the defendants at SMC,” he explained.

Investigators retrieved more than 1,000 medical pills and several more medical derivatives from the residence of the first accused.