'CHANGE IN LAW' SAVES SMUGGLERS

Two men jailed for life for drug smuggling have been saved by a
change in the law.

Their sentences were cut to seven years in jail yesterday, after the
High Criminal Court accepted that they should have been dealt with
under a new law, which restricted jail terms for drug smuggling.

The Bahraini men were convicted in October last year of smuggling
hashish into the country and were each sentenced to life in prison
with a fine of BD10,000, by the High Criminal Court.

One of the men, aged 34, was also convicted of illegally dealing in
hashish.

But their defence team objected to the convictions, because they were
passed in absentia.

Lawyers asked the court to reduce the jail term, saying that a new
law, which gives lighter sentences to smuggling charges, was
implemented before the men were convicted.

They claimed that their clients were charged by the Public
Prosecution before the passing of the new law, but were convicted
after the new law came into effect.

It is understood the previous law, article 33 of the 1973 penal code,
stated that felons would be sentenced to life in prison and fined
BD10,000 on smuggling charges.

However, article 22 of law 15 for the year 2007, reduced the sentence
of smuggling to a maximum of seven years in jail, with a fine not
lower than BD1,000 and not exceeding BD20,000.

Judges yesterday accepted the objection, saying it was valid and
slashed the men's jail term to seven years.

According to court documents, the defendants were arrested when
informants for the Criminal Investigation Directorate received
information that the men were planning to smuggle hashish into the
country.