The Public Prosecutor in charge of the criminal cases involving a group of medics facing charges from events that took place in and around Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) last year, has stated he would only be presenting evidence for a small number of accused involved in the most serious criminal violations.
As indicated by the Attorney General earlier this month, Public Prosecutor Abdul Rahman Al-Sayyed said that the evidence he led deals primarily with matters such as the takeover of the Salmaniya Medical Complex during the events of 2011 and other related crimes, as detailed in the Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (see especially paragraphs 836, 837 and 838).
It was confirmed that of the criminal cases involving medical professionals, only five have been accused of serious criminal charges.
As for the remaining accused, the Public Prosecution stated that the acts of the remaining accused, such as breaching patient confidentiality by allowing cameras into the hospital, leading protests inside the hospital and transforming it into a political arena, and discriminating against patients based on their sect, are most appropriately dealt with as breaches of the Code of Medical Ethics. He called on the court to transfer the cases of the remaining accused to the medical disciplinary board.
Al-Sayyed noted that since the beginning of this case, the prosecution has approached the charges objectively and fairly and has presented evidence and prosecuted the case in a timely manner.
This statement follows the Attorney General’s decision last year to drop some charges against the accused and not to rely upon confessional evidence, as well as the recent statement related to this matter on March 5th.