Bahrain: A Bahraini man in his 40s has been sentenced to five years in jail for embezzling half a million Bahraini dinars from customers claiming that he was a consultant in a public entity, the High Criminal Court announced.

The suspect deceived his victims, mostly women, by claiming that he was well-connected and could employ them in the public sector or invest their money.

Court files say he transferred part of the money he received from his victims to his account and used the rest of the cash to purchase things for his family members.

Investigators also found that the man transferred BD85,000 to a destination abroad. When questioned, the man told officers that he was in love with a European woman and that the cash went to her.

The man, a retiree, also denied the accusation that he conned his victims. He told investigators that he took several loans, and part of that money was given to his lover and that he used the rest for buying cars.

He also claimed that he was working as a car broker. The court slapped him with a BD20,000 fine and ordered the confiscation of cash and assets worth BD85,000 from him.