Bahrain court acquits opposition leaders in Qatar spy case

A Bahraini court on Thursday acquitted three members of an opposition group of spying for Qatar. (REUTERS)

• Public prosecution will appeal the verdict, says public prosecutor Osama Al-Oufi
• The court did not properly assess the evidence, he says

JEDDAH: A Bahraini court on Thursday acquitted three members of an opposition group of spying for Qatar.
In November, public prosecutor Osama Al-Oufi accused Al-Wefaq’s Ali Salman and Hassan Sultan of conspiring with Qatari officials to carry out “hostile acts” in Bahrain.
The High Criminal Court acquitted them along with a third Al-Wefaq member, Ali Al-Aswad, said Al-Oufi, the state Bahrain News Agency (BNA) reported.
The public prosecution had submitted strong and varied evidence, including communication records between the defendants and Qatari officials, which proved beyond any doubt intelligence links between them with the purpose of inciting the violence that struck Bahrain in 2011, Al-Oufi added.
The conspirators also worked to undermine national efforts to control and eliminate subversive acts of violence, he said.
Witness testimonies supported the material evidence presented by the public prosecution, he added.
In deciding to acquit the defendants, the court did not properly assess the evidence, Al-Oufi said, adding that the public prosecution will appeal the verdict.
Bahraini law allows the prosecution and defendants to appeal a ruling at the Court of Appeals and the Court of Cassation.