Bahrain charges British citizen of Sudanese origin with illegal possession of state documents
The Associated Press
Published: October 3, 2006
CAIRO, Egypt Bahrain’s Public Prosecution office on Tuesday charged a British citizen of Sudanese origin on two counts of illegal possession of state documents and theft and announced that he will be tried in absentia before the High Criminal Court.
“Investigations made by the public prosecution revealed that Salah al-Bandar abused his previous position and that government papers were found in his place of residence together with two bank checks that have no relation to his type of work,” a statement issued by the prosecution office spokesman Osama al-Aufi said.
Bahrain charges British citizen of Sudanese origin with illegal possession of state documents
The Associated Press
Published: October 3, 2006
CAIRO, Egypt Bahrain’s Public Prosecution office on Tuesday charged a British citizen of Sudanese origin on two counts of illegal possession of state documents and theft and announced that he will be tried in absentia before the High Criminal Court.
“Investigations made by the public prosecution revealed that Salah al-Bandar abused his previous position and that government papers were found in his place of residence together with two bank checks that have no relation to his type of work,” a statement issued by the prosecution office spokesman Osama al-Aufi said.
Al-Bandar, who was expelled from Bahrain last month and accused of being a spy, worked for Bahrain’s Cabinet affairs minister and the government statistics agency before fingering top government officials in a secret plot to deprive Shiites, an essential part of the population, of their rights.
About 60 percent of Bahrain’s 725,000 citizens are Shiite, but the country’s leadership is Sunni Muslim. Shiites often complain of discrimination, and say they are squeezed out of having a say in running the country. Al-Bandar, a Sunni, claimed to have documents that reveal a plan to deploy electronic voting to rig the next elections.
Al-Bandar denied being a spy and told the London-based independent daily Al-Wasat that he had exposed a secret network operating within the government to prevent the Shiites from participating and freely electing their representatives.
No date has been set for the trial.
Elections are scheduled for Nov. 25.
str-my-wnt
CAIRO, Egypt Bahrain’s Public Prosecution office on Tuesday charged a British citizen of Sudanese origin on two counts of illegal possession of state documents and theft and announced that he will be tried in absentia before the High Criminal Court.
“Investigations made by the public prosecution revealed that Salah al-Bandar abused his previous position and that government papers were found in his place of residence together with two bank checks that have no relation to his type of work,” a statement issued by the prosecution office spokesman Osama al-Aufi said.
Al-Bandar, who was expelled from Bahrain last month and accused of being a spy, worked for Bahrain’s Cabinet affairs minister and the government statistics agency before fingering top government officials in a secret plot to deprive Shiites, an essential part of the population, of their rights.
About 60 percent of Bahrain’s 725,000 citizens are Shiite, but the country’s leadership is Sunni Muslim. Shiites often complain of discrimination, and say they are squeezed out of having a say in running the country. Al-Bandar, a Sunni, claimed to have documents that reveal a plan to deploy electronic voting to rig the next elections.
Al-Bandar denied being a spy and told the London-based independent daily Al-Wasat that he had exposed a secret network operating within the government to prevent the Shiites from participating and freely electing their representatives.
No date has been set for the trial.
Elections are scheduled for Nov. 25.
str-my-wnt
