JEDDAH — The caretaker of an orphan's endowment was sentenced to three years in prison for stealing SR3 million from an orphan under her supervision. The woman's son also received a similar sentence for being an accomplice in the crime. A source said the mother of the orphan filed a lawsuit against the woman in her 70s, who is the caretaker of the orphan's endowment. "The mother claimed that the woman had not paid anything to the orphan for the past eight years and had been keeping the money for herself. The woman was supervising real estate endowed for the orphan's care. The mother claimed the woman had been robbing them for years," said the source. He said the criminal court held a hearing with regard to the lawsuit and asked the caretaker to furnish documentation to prove that she paid the dues regularly. The caretaker denied the charge and argued that the criminal court had no jurisdiction over endowment matters and the case should go to the personal status court. But the court stood its ground and asked the woman to produce the documents. "The court discovered that the orphan had SR3 million withheld from his account," said the source. The source said the caretaker denied the charges despite documented evidence. "The caretaker was sentenced to three years in prison and fined with SR6 million to be paid to the orphan. The court also summoned the caretaker's son who has been helping her deal with her finances. The court questioned the son and found him guilty. The son was aware of the discrepancies in his elderly mother's accounts," said the source. The source said the court sentenced the son to three years prison as well for being an accomplice to his mother's crimes. The court also sentenced the lawyer defending the caretaker to a year in prison. The lawyer was also banned from representing the caretaker or work on the case and was not allowed to receive his fee for taking up the case, said the source. The source said the court cited Article 11 from the lawyer's pledge, which states that lawyers shall practice their profession in compliance with Islamic principles. "The lawyer objected to the sentence and the court gave him 30 days to appeal the verdict. If the lawyer does not appeal within 30 days the initial sentence will become binding," said the source. He also said the court sentenced another lawyer who is under training but was also involved in the case. "The lawyer was sentenced to three days for lying in court and was to make a pledged to never lie under oath again," said the source.
