A Qatari official working for Hamad Medical Corporation was sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined 729 million riyals ($200 million) after being found guilty of bribery, exploitation of position, damage to public funds and money laundering.
Three other HMC employees were convicted on the same charges, including another Qatari official who was sentenced to 11 years in jail and fined 171 million riyals, Qatar's prosecutor's office said.
The four employees were among 16 people charged in July last year over corrupt practices at HMC, Qatar’s biggest healthcare provider.
Ten other accused, including two Qataris and owners of companies contracted by HMC, were given jail sentences of five to eight years as well as fines totalling 250 million riyals.
Two of the accused were acquitted, the prosecutors said.
All were charged following an investigation that revealed “employees exploiting their position at HMC, favouring certain companies owned by the other defendants and facilitating their obtaining contracts to supply medical materials and supplies to HMC in return for sums of money”, prosecutors said while announcing the charges last year.
“After the evidence was sufficient, the attorney general ordered the transfer of the accused to the competent criminal court.”
HMC runs 12 hospitals in Qatar, the National Ambulance Service and offers home and residential care. It has more than 25,000 employees.
Qatar has been increasing its anti-corruption campaign in recent years. The convictions in the HMC case come two months after a criminal court in Doha sentenced former finance minister Ali Sherif Al Emadi to 20 years in prison for laundering more than $5.6 billion. The court also ordered him to pay a fine of over 61 billion riyals, including a fine of 40.9 billion riyals – twice the amount of money he laundered – and others amounting to more than 21 billion riyals, Reuters reported.
Al Emadi was arrested in May 2021 and fired as minister of finance. At the time of his arrest, he was considered one of Qatar’s most powerful officials and also served as chairman of the central bank, on the board of Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund and as president of the executive board of Qatar Airways.
The day before his arrest, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim abolished provisions that gave cabinet ministers immunity from prosecution.
The specs
UAE%20SQUAD
Tomorrow 2021
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Opening weekend Premier League fixtures
Weekend of August 10-13
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Liverpool v West Ham United
Manchester United v Leicester City
Newcastle United v Tottenham Hotspur
Southampton v Burnley
Watford v Brighton & Hove Albion
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Everton
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The five pillars of Islam
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The national orchestra
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
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Plastic tipping point
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Tomorrow 2021
Long read
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War on waste
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
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Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
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The specs
Engine: Turbocharged four-cylinder 2.7-litre
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North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
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Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
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Terrain: Flat ice
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
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Dubai World Cup nominations
UAE: Thunder Snow/Saeed bin Suroor (trainer), North America/Satish Seemar, Drafted/Doug Watson, New Trails/Ahmad bin Harmash, Capezzano, Gronkowski, Axelrod, all trained by Salem bin Ghadayer
USA: Seeking The Soul/Dallas Stewart, Imperial Hunt/Luis Carvajal Jr, Audible/Todd Pletcher, Roy H/Peter Miller, Yoshida/William Mott, Promises Fulfilled/Dale Romans, Gunnevera/Antonio Sano, XY Jet/Jorge Navarro, Pavel/Doug O’Neill, Switzerland/Steve Asmussen.
Japan: Matera Sky/Hideyuki Mori, KT Brace/Haruki Sugiyama. Bahrain: Nine Below Zero/Fawzi Nass. Ireland: Tato Key/David Marnane. Hong Kong: Fight Hero/Me Tsui. South Korea: Dolkong/Simon Foster.
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Fixtures
Tomorrow 2021
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Results:
2.15pm: Handicap (PA) Dh60,000 1,200m.
Winner: AZ Dhabyan, Adam McLean (jockey), Saleha Al Ghurair (trainer).
2.45pm: Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 1,200m.
Winner: Ashton Tourettes, Sam Hitchcott, Ibrahim Aseel.
3.15pm: Conditions (PA) Dh60,000 2,000m.
Winner: Hareer Al Reef, Gerald Avranche, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
3.45pm: Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 1,700m.
Winner: Kenz Al Reef, Gerald Avranche, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
4.15pm: Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Cup (TB) Dh 200,000 1,700m.
Winner: Mystique Moon, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson.
4.45pm: The Crown Prince Of Sharjah Cup Prestige (PA) Dh200,000 1,200m.
Winner: ES Ajeeb, Sam Hitchcott, Ibrahim Aseel.
