Intelligence case adjourned

Manama, Jan. 25 (BNA): Advocate General Osama Al Ufi said the High Criminal Court has completed today hearing the case of Ali Salman Ali Ahmed, Hassan Ali Juma’a Sultan and Ali Mehdi Ali Al Aswad who are accused of exchanging intelligence information with Qatar. The Public Prosecution referred them to the court for trial after accusing them of exchanging intelligence information with a foreign country to carry out hostile acts against the Kingdom of Bahrain, undermine its political and economic status as well as its national interest to overthrow the political system. The suspects were also accused of disclosing a defence secret to a foreign country, accepting money from a foreign country in return for providing it with military secrets and information about the internal situation of the country, spreading tendentious rumours and fallacies abroad to weaken the financial confidence in the kingdom and jeopardise its prestige. The court heard the case in an open session today according to the law. The first suspect attended the trial accompanied by his lawyers. The court presented the recorded telephone conversation between the suspect and the former Qatari Prime Minister. The Public Prosecution demanded confirming the suspect’s acknowledgement of the conversation, pointing out that it will use it in its pleadings to show the evidence proving perpetration of the crimes. The court decided to adjourn the case to February 19 and tasked the Public Prosecution to provide the original recording of the telephone conversation between the first suspect Ali Salman and Hamad bin Jassim which was included in the TV report that was listened to at the court hearing today. The court also ruled to carry out articles 1 and 3 of the decision issued on January 4, 2018.