Court to Deliver Verdict in Major Food Fraud Case on August 20

Daily Tribune

a day ago

The Third Court of Appeal has scheduled a hearing on Tuesday, August 20, to deliver its verdict in the appeal of a high-profile case involving the owner of two trading companies, his brother, and 20 Asian workers. The case concerns penalties ranging from two to three years in prison, fines exceeding BD 200,000, six-month closure of both companies, and the confiscation and destruction of expired and adulterated food products along with equipment used in the offenses.
During yesterday's hearing, all defendants appeared in the dock except for one appellant who has already been fined. Lawyers for the defendants requested the court to overturn the original ruling and acquit their clients.
The lower court had previously sentenced one of the brothers to three years in prison and fined him BD 100,000, while the other brother was fined BD 101,000. One Asian manager was sentenced to three years, and nine employees received two-year sentences.
Additionally, the court had ruled that all foreign defendants would be deported after serving their sentences. Both companies were fined BD 10,000 each, ordered to close for six months, and required to destroy all expired or adulterated products. The charges relate to the possession, marketing, and sale of expired food products with falsified expiry dates.
The case began when an employee filed a complaint with the Khamees Police Station in the Northern Governorate. The worker stated that he was forced to alter expiry dates on expired food products using methods such as removing original labels and replacing them with new ones. After refusing to continue, he recorded video evidence of the tampering and reported the matter to authorities.
Following the complaint, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce launched an investigation and ordered the closure of the violating warehouse and stores.