Prison begins for ex-Indian Navy officer in Qatar

With the sentence now being served, attention has shifted from the legality of the conviction to its aftermath.

- ABHINANDAN MISHRA NEW DELHI

A Qatari criminal court's verdict in a major defence-related corruption and money-laundering case has now moved from judgment to enforcement, with three key convicts sent to prison, including Indian national and former Navy officer Purnendu Tiwari, the former chief executive of the company involved, and a local Qatari Ministry of Defence officer, according to court records.

The trial court, in Case No. 3005/2024, convicted the accused on charges including criminal conspiracy and money laundering, holding that the offences were committed through coordinated abuse of de-fence procurement processes and illicit financial transfers linked to military contracts.

As per the judgment, Tiwari was sentenced to three years' imprisonment for criminal conspiracy and three years' imprisonment for money laundering, along with an order for deportation from Qatar after completion of the sentence. The court also imposed substantial financial penalties, including fines and restitution tied to the proceeds of crime. The judgment ordered the convicts, jointly, to pay fines linked to the bribery offence amounting to QAR 10 million and EUR 1.3 million, pay an additional fine equal to the same amount, and return public funds quantified by the court at QAR 69,084,558 and EUR 31,725,000, along with an additional punitive fine of the same value.