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Bahrain: Prison Sentence Against Isa Qassim, his Aides in Money Laundering Case | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Isa Qassim. AP Photo


Manama- Bahrain’s Judiciary gave on Sunday Isa Qassim and his aides Hussein Youssef Al-Qassab and Mirza Al-Darazi, a one-year suspended prison sentence on charges of illegal fundraising and money laundering.

The verdict also fined each one of the three accused a sum of $265,000 and the confiscation of the seized assets related to the case.

Still, the three accused men and the Public Prosecution could either appeal or refer the case to the court of cassation, before the verdict is final.

The case of Isa Qassim emerged after the Bahraini government dissolved the religious society of Al-Tawiya al-Islamiya in June 2016, while deliberations have continued for about a year.

Qassim’s case also started when the Bahraini Security Authorities said they found a large sum of money in one of his private bank accounts.

A report issued by the Bahraini Central Bank uncovered that the deposits in Qassim’s four bank accounts have reached $14 million, adding that Qassim had already withdrawn a sum of $6.6 million from these accounts.

On July 20, 2016, Bahrain revoked Qassim’s citizenship, accusing him of sowing sectarian divisions.

Bahrain’s Public Prosecution had launched intensive investigations to find out all the facts and follow up on the evidence relating to the process of how Qassim’s funds were raised, collected and spent, by monitoring and documenting the banking and financial movements made by the defendants.

On Sunday, the Public Prosecution Advocate General stated that the High Criminal Court issued its verdict in the case concerning the illegal collection of funds and the laundering of money obtained through criminal offences.

The court also ruled a fine of 100,000 Bahraini Dinars for each and the confiscation of the seized assets related to the case, Bahrain’s News Agency (BNA) said.

The advocate General said the Public Prosecution is currently looking into the verdicts to determine whether it will appeal, BNA added.