Cassation Court absolves traffic officer, orders good conduct bail instead

In a significant judicial development, the Court of Cassation has overturned a seven-year prison sentence that was previously issued against a traffic officer accused of transferring vehicles in the absence of their owners.

The court also ruled to refrain from imposing any criminal penalties on the officer and several other government employees involved in the same case.

According to the final verdict, the Al-Rai daily said, the court opted not to pursue punitive measures against the defendants but instead imposed a conditional measure requiring each of them to post a 500 dinars bail. This bail serves as a guarantee of good conduct for a period of one year.

The case papers show the officer and a group of employees had misused their authority by transferring vehicles without following proper legal procedures or securing the consent of the vehicle owners.

While the lower court had found them guilty and handed down a seven-year prison sentence, the Court of Cassation re-evaluated the evidence and circumstances, and decided to withhold punishment while still holding the defendants accountable through the financial guarantee.

This ruling reflects the court’s discretionary power to balance justice with rehabilitation, especially when it finds that further punitive action may not be warranted under the circumstances.