Gulf Daily News Monday, 17th November 2014 Email: gdnnews@gdn.com.bh 5 n Shaikha Hessa Girls’ School was awarded Unconditional Joint Accreditation by the Council of International Schools/Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (CIS/MSA) during an event yesterday at the school’s campus in Riffa. It was attended by school chairman and Education Ministry Human Resources and Services Under-Secretary Shaikh Hisham bin Abdulaziz Al Khalifa, CIS regional accreditation officer Dr Lesley Stagg, MSA accreditation officer Jacqueline Gilbert, ministry representatives, teachers, parents and students. Above, Shaikh Hisham speaking at the ceremony. Right, guests at the event. Arms trial begins EIGHT men, including a former Bahraini police lieutenant, convicted of fraud appeared in court for the first time yesterday to plead not guilty to possessing unlicensed firearms. The officer, who was sentenced to three years by the Lower Criminal Court on October 23, is among defendants standing trial for illegal possession of AK47 rifles, pistols, shotguns and ammunition. He is also accused of smuggling the illegal firearms into the country, which he denies. A judge had to order the former lieutenant to sit with his co-defendants in the dock during yesterday’s hearing, after he initially sat outside the glass barrier. “Why are you sitting outside the dock, you have been jailed,” the High Criminal Court judge overseeing the trial told him. “You will not be treated any differently to any of the other inmates.” The judge also ordered him to speak quietly when the defendant raised his voice to enter By NOOR ZAHRA a not guilty plea. “Your voice should be quieter than my voice, don’t raise it when I speak to you,” the judge told him. One of the defendants, who was the former lieutenant’s personal bodyguard, earlier told prosecutors that he saw 60 firearms in a vehicle belonging to one of his co-defendants. “He (the former police lieutenant) would have a lot of people approach him to sell him guns during the unrest,” the bodyguard, a former BDF officer, told prosecutors in his statement. Fraud “He always had weapons in his car and I thought it was licensed because of his job. “I was his personal guard and he paid me BD440 a month. “He told me to grab a box from his vehicle and I saw it was full of ammunition. “I also saw an MP5 (sub-machine gun) and a shotgun in the car, in addition to other pistols in another car. “Another man came to him and I saw he had 60 firearms in his vehicle.” An investigator told prosecutors that the former police lieutenant smuggled weapons into the country, stashed them at his home and handed them over to the rest of the defendants. “He (the former lieutenant) received illegal weapons, which he smuggled into the country,” said the 23-year-old policeman in his statement. “He then hid them at his home and gave them to the rest of the suspects along with tear gas canisters.” The weapons confiscated included a 35.5mm rifle and 9mm, 8mm, 5.5mm and 4.5mm pistols. The weapons trial was yesterday adjourned until December 12 to appoint lawyers for some of the defendants. The former police lieutenant was earlier found guilty of reneging on a business deal after he persuaded a foreign company to pay him BD1.25 million to be a partner in a poultry firm. He had pledged to invest more than BD10m in the company’s capital, but did not honour his commitment. The poultry company was never launched and the defendant withdrew the amount deposited by the foreign firm and spent the cash on himself. However, he denied the allegations and maintained he used the money for the new company, contrary to evidence collected. He was earlier acquitted by the same court in connection HD65 Cargo Truck, BD. 8,790/- Available in Double Cabin, BD. 9,990/- with a second fraud case, but is also standing trial separately for allegedly posting a defamatory video online that was offensive to members of the Shi’ite sect. noorz@gdn.com.bh HD46 Cargo Truck, BD. 7,890/- In your business, you should always make sure that you choose the right tools!! HD72 Chassis Truck, BD. 8,990/- HD65 Dump Truck, BD. 9,990/- Why take any chances when choosing essential tools for having a successful business? Now with Hyundai commercial line-up, you can ensure having the right transportation solutions with best deals. Also, enjoy our Lifetime Warranty and attractive service packages for extra peace of mind. ALYAL RESIDENCE For more information please call 39774545 Luxurious 1, 2 and 3 bedroom fully furnished apartments in the heart of Seef. Hyundaibahrain FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT +973 1600 0606 MOBILE +973 3837 8311 17 121 121 www.1stmotors.com GDN_pressadvert_127x100mm.indd 1 @Hyundai_bahrain 11/12/14 4:33 PM #Hyundaibahrain