The District Court here has upheld the sentence of an expatriate to two years in prison and 300 lashes and deportation from the country for impersonating a Saudi lawyer for 15 years. The District Court found the expatriate guilty of fraud and deception and impersonating a Saudi lawyer. However, the verdict was objected to by both the prosecution and the defense. The expatriate has asked for the right to appeal while the prosecution has claimed that the verdict was too lenient. The judge acknowledged that the accused deserved more severe punishment, but said that he had taken into consideration many factors – the defendant's age and signs of regret – and that as he was a foreigner, there was no use lengthening the prison period for him. Earlier, the Board of Grievances had suspended the prison sentence of the expatriate who was released on bail and was living with his wife and four children. The prosecutor objected in the Administrative Court to the suspension of the sentence and said in his complaint that “the verdict did not take into consideration the fact that the accused had received SR20,000 as a down payment to represent a client in a case in a British Court.
