Page 407 - Records of Bahrain (7) (ii)_Neat

Legal affairs and justice, 1952-1957 797
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Courta hesitate to enforce commercial engagements entered

Into by their subjects, hut instead allow caaoo to become
bogged down in an extra-Judicial tribunal.
The Chief Qo^rt for t^e Persian Qulf
Original Jurisdiction
Ono criminal case was pppprted to the Chief Court,
whioh directed that it should he transferred to itself* The

caoe oujiio before Judge Iiaines on Deoqmbsr 6, This was the
case of an Indian olerk formerly employed at the Political
Agency, During un inopootion in the puniTior of 1954» irregularities
were found in his accounts going bao£ some yeara^ fn that
moneys deposited by the Court with the Agonoy and signed for

by the uocueed did not uppear to have been banked. There
was no direct evidence of irtaap, ! ppriaticnby the accused.
The projected charge was Criminal Breach of Ti'ust,
but it wau clear that there would have to be a vox*y prolonged
exuminution of uccountu, und evidence from the Political Agent,

bofore tho Court could bo asked to frame such a charge. In
view of this, and the long delay during which the accused had
continued to be employed at tho Agenoy it was decided to
authorise the Public Prosecutor to withdraw. The Judge
assonted to this, and the man was discharged. Tho money

had in fact been put back and no loss to public funds
occurred.
Appellate Jurisdiction
During the summer Judge llaines heard un application
for leave to appeal to the Pull Court from a 1953 decision

of the Chief Court in tho "Muljeo" case referred to in last
yeur's report, This application was refused and thus put a
final end to this protracted litigation.
There wore two upxieala from the Court for Bahrain,
ono criminal and one civil* both heard by Judge llaines. Tho

fix'st of those was an appeal aguinot sentence by the Iraqi
shopbreaker whoso cuso is noted above. He had been sentenced
/to Two