DAMMAM — The travel permit used by the Al-Khobar woman who converted to Christianity was fake and issued by a Passports Department officer in Al-Kharj. The woman passed through Saudi customs at King Fahd Causeway and entered Bahrain with the same permit, her family's lawyer was quoted by a local newspaper as saying. The travel permit was issued from Al-Kharj even though the woman's father and husband both live in Al-Khobar, added Humood Al-Khaldi. The permit carried the father's signature, not the husband's as it should have been according to Saudi passports regulations, said Al-Khaldi. Travel rules stipulate that only the husband can approve his wife's travel abroad unless she is divorced. Al-Khaldi said the woman's father is illiterate and does not know how to sign any papers, proving that someone falsified the permit. He added: “The official stamp of the Passports Department wasn't clear. Everything in that document proved that it was forged.” Over the next 10 days, the Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution (BIP) will look into the case filed by Al-Khaldi against a Passports Department officer, a Saudi and Lebanese who are accused of trying to convert the girl to Christianity and help her travel abroad. She is currently in Sweden. There is sufficient evidence to convict the suspects of all charges against them that also include kidnapping and forgery, Al-Khaldi claimed. He added: “The ball is in the BIP's court now. They'll look into the case, investigate documentary evidence, remand all those involved then refer the case to the Bureau of Grievances.” The lawyer said the Saudi Embassy in Sweden should keep the girl's family posted about her condition. It should also find legal solutions to the girl's status in Sweden and work out diplomatic solutions to return her to the Kingdom, he added. A few months ago the Saudi married woman fled the Kingdom after allegedly converting to Christianity. A Saudi colleague and a Lebanese man who is Christian are believed to have encouraged the girl to flee. Both men were arrested and are still behind bars. The Lebanese man is said to have arranged for her to stay with a Christian group inside a church in Lebanon. When the girl regretted her actions and expressed a desire to return to the Kingdom, the men allegedly relocated her to Sweden.
