Manama: Bahrain’s justice minister has requested the Cassation Court to reconsider the death sentence ruling in the murder of a police officer and attempted murder of other officers.
Justice Minister Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Al Khalifa on Monday said that the decision to apply for a reconsideration of the verdict was taken following a proposal presented by the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) to the ministry.
He said that the decision was within the privileges granted under the Court of Cassation Law that allow the Minister of Justice to request the reconsideration of sentences under certain circumstances.
“Such an application is made under the authority vested in the Minister of Justice to ensure that justice is served after exhausting all legal avenues to the maximum possible for the sake of truth,” Shaikh Khalid said in his statement.
“The Court of Cassation has absolute discretion, based on the investigation carried out by the Special Investigation Unit and on the new documents which were filed as evidence in the case.”
Bahrain is deeply committed to safeguarding the legal rights guaranteed by its legislature to ensure that justice is served to the full extent of the law, he added.
The request to reconsider the ruling was prompted by the findings of the Ministry of Interior Ombudsman as he reviewed the case.
The SIU was notified about the findings and it launched a new investigation that uncovered new documents that had not been presented to the court.
In March, Advocate General Ali Al Buainain said that he received a note from the SIU suggesting a retrial of the two defendants.
The SIU said that it was in possession of medical reports by Ministry of Interior doctors that were not available during the initial investigation of the defendants and throughout the stages of the trial.
The SIU said that, given the new documents and for the sake of full justice, it asked the justice minister to ask the Court of Cassation to reconsider its verdict.
