Bahrain: Former EWA Employee On Trial For Forging Power Disconnection Notice
The Bahrain High Criminal Court has commenced the trial of a former Electricity and Water Authority (EWA) employee on charges of forging a power disconnection notice to coerce a tenant into paying outstanding financial dues.
The complainant lodged a report stating that he had rented a piece of land from the accused and paid a monthly amount of BD240.
The complainant further alleged that the accused, leveraging his position as an employee of the EWA, sent him WhatsApp notifications purportedly from the authority warning of imminent power and water disconnection.
Subsequently, it was revealed that these notifications were forged.
The inspection report from the authority confirmed that, based on an examination of the notifications and an assessment of their accuracy, it was determined that they were not authentic and were not issued by the Joint Services Management of the Electricity and Water Authority.
The administration’s letter also affirmed that the notifications were fraudulent.
The defence attorney for the accused vehemently denied the charges, asserting that his client, who has been working in the accounts department for 35 years, had no previous records of misconduct or complaints against him.
The attorney explained that his client had obtained a court judgement for contract termination and eviction of the rented property, and he had no interest in continuing the lease due to the serious violations committed by the complainant.
The defense further claimed that the complainant had illicitly connected to the electricity network by tapping into the power supply before the meter installation, which led to a criminal complaint being filed against him.
Consequently, the defence argued that the complainant fabricated the charges against the accused. The defense attorney also pointed out that there was no legal standing for the complainant to file the report, as the subscription account was registered with the Electricity Authority in the name of his client (the accused).
