Criminal Court: Acquittal of 6 Defendants in Electricity Meters Case Due to Insufficient Evidence

The Judicial Editor: The Criminal Court, presided over by Senior Judge Al-Duwaikh Mubarak Al-Duwaikh and composed of Judges Badr Salem Al-Shaaban and Ibrahim Abdul Nasser Kharibat, acquitted the six defendants in the case concerning the manipulation of electricity and water meters, “due to insufficient evidence to establish the charges against them.” The court clarified in its ruling’s reasoning that messages exchanged via WhatsApp, which included discussions about a salary, a gift, and the alteration of a report, raised suspicions; however, the totality of the evidence did not sufficiently prove that those benefits were given in exchange for overlooking violations against a company. The court also affirmed that the testimony of a criminal investigation officer regarding the outcomes of his inquiries does not constitute independent, standalone evidence, as it is derived from those inquiries. The court stressed the necessity of determining the criminal responsibility of each defendant individually, noting that merely transferring financial documents does not prove knowledge of their purpose, and that merely benefiting from funds or obtaining an appointment is insufficient on its own to prove complicity in bribery. The court concluded its reasoning by emphasizing a legal principle “stating that the existence of suspicion does not shift the burden of proof of the accusation onto the defendant, and that a conviction is not based on doubts and probabilities, but rather on sufficient and convincing evidence.”