MANAMA: Following up on the implementation of the Civil Settlement Initiative, Mohammed Buchiri, Director of Courts at Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs announced that the Civil Settlement Bureau has decided to pay compensation for six new death cases. A decision was made to settle them as a new addition to the cases compensated in implementation of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) recommendations.
The Director of Courts added that in respect of the bodily injury cases, the Civil Settlement Bureau has in the interim, completed the study of 47 applications for bodily injury cases, and agreed to pay compensation for those cases which were examined by the Public Prosecution appointed medical examiner.
Buchiri announced that payment of compensation for all the six new deaths and the aforementioned bodily injury cases, a total of BD 675,500, or $1.8 million, has begun, and pointed out that these recent compensations included a case of total disability which was compensated with an amount equal to settlements for death cases.
In 2012 and 2013, in light of the decisions issued by the concerned Committee, the Civil Settlement Bureau paid compensations for all death cases cited in the BICI report, a total of 35 cases, in addition to the compensation for 4 other death cases out of the scope of the BICI Report, as resolved by the Committee. The Ministry has also finalized all the compensation procedures for applicants who accepted compensation and settlement, a total of BD 2,220,000, or around $6million.
The Civil Settlement Initiative under which direct compensation was paid to claimants as amicable settlements, in accordance with Royal directives to expedite remedies by payment of compensation for injuries and damages sustained during the past events, in light of the BICI recommendation, and with the Government’s assiduous endeavours to expedite the implementation of the BICI recommendations and pay appropriate damages to victims without delay, subject to the right of any victim who elects not to accept the proposed settlement, to resort to civil courts, without prejudice to any criminal accountability proceedings.