Villaggio fire, a Youtube video grab
The Court of Cassation, the highest court in Qatar, yesterday issued the final verdict on the Villaggio fire case, six years after the incident that claimed 19 lives.
The court rejected an appeal against the verdict of the Court of Appeals presented by the two accused, seeking to minimise the punishment and reduce fine, Al Sharq reported.
A lower criminal court on June 20, 2013 sentenced the first, second, third and fourth accused six years in jail and to pay blood money in collaboration with the insurance company which is QR 200,000 for each of the victims. The court also sentenced the seventh accused five years in jail acquitting the rest of the accused from the charges.
Upon appeal of the accused the Court of Appeals on October 26, 2015 cleared the defendants of all charges and stipulated that conviction in the case will be under the provisions of Articles (1) and (1/43) of the Resolution of the Minister of Civil Service and Housing Affairs No (20) of 2005. Accordingly the court imposed a fine of QR 20,000 on real estate projects company and ordered it to pay, in collaboration with its partners and the insurance company, blood money (Diya) of QR 200,000 to the heirs of each of the victims.
Following the appeal of Prosecution, the Court of Appeals second verdict affirmed total fine of QR 3.8m as blood money to pay QR 200,000 for each of the victim’s families in collaboration with insurance company.
The accused appealed against the verdict of the Court of Appeals, which acquitted all the defendants in the case, at the Court of Cessation. The Court of Cassation has upheld the verdict of Court of Appeals .The verdict of the Court of Cassation is final and binding and cannot be challenged at any level of courts.
