A court in in Bahrain has allowed owners of the controversial Kuwaiti Building to carry out maintenance, remodelling and repair work.

The High Administrative Court ordered the Manama Municipality to pay for their legal expenses, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

It also quashed a case filed by the municipality against demolishing the building. The owners plan to sue the civic body for losses incurred due to the stalemate.

The GDN earlier reported that the owners had sued the municipality for BD2 million ($5.3 million), claiming the 31-year-old building was safe and the money would cover losses resulting from the eviction of families and businesses in November 2006, based on a court-backed order by the municipality.

The 11-storey landmark building housed shops and offices on the first three floors, as well as flats on the remaining eight. It was built in 1978.

Our sister paper Akhbar Al Khaleej reported that two of the owners died during trial period, leaving behind more than 12 heirs. It quoted lawyer Maha Jabir as saying that rents of 174 flats, 52 shops and 20 administrative offices had been wasted. - TradeArabia News Service