Carpenter sentenced for torching workshop

An Arab carpenter was sentenced to one-year imprisonment by the First High Criminal Court for torching the workshop, where he previously worked after his ex-boss allegedly didn’t pay his indemnity.

In March this year, the court ordered the temporary release of the defendant after his previous employer waived his right to sue him. The court also ordered to suspend the execution of the imprisonment sentence for the same reason. The carpenter allegedly set the carpentry shop on fire owing to unpaid salaries.

The 53-year-old was entitled to receive BD273 from his employer, but he caused more than BD300,000 worth of damage by burning the property which is located in Sitra, according to court files. “I came to Bahrain in 2017 to work as a carpenter. The work was really tiring, working conditions were difficult and I was not paid salaries on time. I filed a case against my employer with the Ministry of Labour.

“My complaint was solved, but my employer then stopped paying my salary from January until April last year,” the accused said. “I filed another complaint, but this time at the Labour Court, which ordered my employer to settle my dues,” he added.