A partner at Al Ruwayeh & Partners (ASAR), one of the largest law firms in Kuwait, has done a bunk after being sentenced to a year in prison for forgery.
Robert Little, a partner in the firm's Corporate Banking & Finance department, was convicted by the Supreme Criminal Court of Appeal at the end of September for forging the articles of association of a Bahraini investment bank. However he failed to show up to hear the verdict (which is not itself a crime) and also failed to turn up to start his jail term (which presumably is). Judges have now issued a warrant for his arrest.
At the time of going to press Little was still on the run. Although not according to ASAR which says that the term is "not factually correct" as "Rob does not live in Bahrain". Riiiight. So RollOnFriday would also like clarify that Ronnie Biggs wasn't on the run when he lived on the Costa del Sol, and all those Nazis holed up in Argentina aren't on the run either but are just there because they like the weather.
Ahmed Barakat, the Managing Partner of ASAR, told RollOnFriday that "The Court of Appeal judgment is defective in many factual and legal respects. Therefore, Rob has filed an appeal to the Supreme Court in Bahrain and we are confident that Rob is completely innocent and will be fully acquitted shortly".
Tip Off ROF
Robert Little, a partner in the firm's Corporate Banking & Finance department, was convicted by the Supreme Criminal Court of Appeal at the end of September for forging the articles of association of a Bahraini investment bank. However he failed to show up to hear the verdict (which is not itself a crime) and also failed to turn up to start his jail term (which presumably is). Judges have now issued a warrant for his arrest.
At the time of going to press Little was still on the run. Although not according to ASAR which says that the term is "not factually correct" as "Rob does not live in Bahrain". Riiiight. So RollOnFriday would also like clarify that Ronnie Biggs wasn't on the run when he lived on the Costa del Sol, and all those Nazis holed up in Argentina aren't on the run either but are just there because they like the weather.
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Little on the run. How it might look. |
Ahmed Barakat, the Managing Partner of ASAR, told RollOnFriday that "The Court of Appeal judgment is defective in many factual and legal respects. Therefore, Rob has filed an appeal to the Supreme Court in Bahrain and we are confident that Rob is completely innocent and will be fully acquitted shortly".
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http://www.arabnews.com/news/467273
These established global firms lend credibility to the veracity of these criminal convictions even if it was in Bahraini courts.
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Hmmm…it smells like you have somewhat of a hidden agenda Mr. “anonymous user”; perhaps you’re someone from the local competition in Kuwait trying to find a gap. C’mon, we’re a bit cleverer than that, I’ve seen your (amateur) kind before on the ROF comment pages...just a few amateurs trying to push a hidden agenda. Please do play nice, otherwise, you may just be bit on the butt…soon ;)
ROF, please do let us know what the outcome of the final appeal is. I’ll be interest to hear of the outcome. Thanks!
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18/11/2013 06:40: You are funny. I will be surprised if you are a lawyer. I mean true lawyer Mr. Funny!
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The Word of the Day is “Deflect”
de•flect/d?fl?kt/ verb (used with object), verb (used without object)
to bend or turn aside; turn from a true course or straight line; swerve.
Used in a sentence:
"Let's post fake and irrelevant comments to attempt to DEFLECT the readers' attention from truth of a criminal conviction."
Or
“I had my lawyers working all day long writing grammatically incorrect posts to DEFLECT from the criminal conviction of one of our own.”
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There is a local proverb which says that "when the camel falls, the knives come out" and this is the way that I view some of the above comments. People who make comments anonymously are always suspect as regards their motives; perhaps Rob’s above-mentioned client list is too "enviable"!
I am surprised (no disappointed; after my many decades in Kuwait I am no longer surprised by the depths to which some people here will lower themselves in an attempt to promote themselves by running down others) that people are trying to make much out of the fact that Rob has not handed himself over to the Bahraini authorities.
Apart from the fact that as I understand from the statement made by his firm, ASAR, the matter is still subject to appeal no one with any real knowledge of how things can operate in the Gulf would do so if they were ever in a similar situation.
To allow oneself to be incarcerated (especially in a GCC prison) until such time as one is released following an acquittal would result in substantial financial and other damage which would not be compensated by anyone. Thus for Rob to have permitted himself to be dealt with in this way would have negated the “sound judgment" referred to above.
The above view is reinforced when one looks at the nature of the alleged offence: “forging the articles of association of a Bahraini investment bank”; I find this somewhat puzzling in the extreme as the process of establishing such a company is conducted under the supervision of various government entities from beginning to end.
It is reinforced further when one knows that some of the people behind the accusations most likely include persons who in a judgment given less than a year ago were referred to by an English High Court judge no less as being: "dishonest witnesses" whose evidence was "untruthful".
Finally, as regards the cartoon I found this puerile in the extreme; it will be difficult for RoF to establish itself as a serious publication when the actions of the editorial management strongly suggest that they are yet to reach the age of puberty.
Kevin Burke
The Law Office of Bader Saud Al-Bader & Partners
Kuwait
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Mr Little is appealing the judgment against him. If there is any justice, the judgment against him will be overturned by the Bahrain Supreme Court on appeal. As a former General Counsel of an investment company owned by the six GCC member states (which include Bahrain), I have confidence that the Bahrain Supreme Court will review the case and overturn the judgment against Mr Little on appeal.
I am aware that senior partners in a number of international law firms (including several that have worked with Mr Little) are observing these proceedings with interest and concern. As at today's date, the Bahrain Supreme Court has still to set a hearing date for the appeal. I hope that the date will be set as soon as possible so that justice will be done and Mr Little can return to his many clients and friends in the Gulf.
Khalid Khan
Cambridge