Expats get two-year jail for money laundering

Two North Korean expatriates have been sentenced to two years in jail and a fine of QR20,000 each after being convicted of money laundering, local Arabic daily Arrayah reported yesterday.A Doha Criminal Court ordered that the two convicts be deported after serving their sentences. A third accomplice, who later fled, had co-operated with them in the execution of their criminal activities. One of the convicts and the escaped accomplice had agreed with the second convict to deposit in his account the money they make out of the illegal brewing and sales of alcohol and subsequently transfer it outside the country.Accordingly, they deposited in his account QR472,100. He also agreed with them on a certain commission as his share in the process. The issue raised suspicion because the salary of the second convict did not exceed QR900, which led the authorities to investigate the matter and finally unravel the racket, the daily added.Court sentences heroin smuggler to deathA Doha Criminal Court has sentenced to death a Pakistani man for attempting to smuggle swallowed heroin capsules through the airport, local Arabic daily Arrayah has reported.He was also fined QR500,000 and ordered to pay the Customs an evasion fine of QR1,000. The defendant was referred to Hamad General Hospital by airport Customs officers for a medical checkup to determine if he was carrying any banned substance, pursuant to a report by the Drug Prevention Department of the Ministry of Interior. An X-ray of his stomach revealed some strange objects inside it. Once medically removed, these turned out to be capsules containing a total of 284.4gm of the illicit drug, heroin. Though the man admitted being guilty in the court of first instance, he appealed the ruling and the case is currently being heard by the Court of Appeal, the daily added.

Motorist to pay blood money over crash deathsA Sri Lankan motorist has been ordered to pay blood money of QR200,000, in association with the insurance company, to the legal heirs of an Indian motorist and his accompanying Iranian passenger, who were killed in an accident caused by his reckless driving.The defendant was also fined QR6,000 by a Doha Criminal Court, local Arabic daily Arrayah reported yesterday. The court found him guilty of speeding and not maintaining a safe distance with the vehicle in front.The accident took place in the Industrial Area, where the defendant’s vehicle collided with the other, causing it to overturn and result in the killing of its two occupants, the daily added.Emir exchanges Ramadan greetingsHH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani exchanged greetings with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the holy month of Ramadan during a phone call he received yesterday.