Lawyers of the ill-fated Al Dana dhow owner have refuted claims by survivors of the tragedy that at least 20 people had yet to reach out-of-court settlements.

Our sister newspaper Gulf Daily News (GDN) reported yesterday that survivors rubbished claims that an out-of-court settlement had been reached with nearly all those affected.

Speaking on the fourth anniversary of the disaster, which fell on Tuesday, a spokesman representing more than 20 survivors revealed that legal proceedings against the vessel's owner Abdulla Al Kobaisi were still ongoing.

He explained that they were still seeking compensation through Bahrain's legal system for the disaster, in which 58 people died, with the latest hearing coming up this month.

The spokesman, who declined to be named, also refuted suggestions that the group would be willing to accept any compensation agreement which allowed Al Kobaisi and those responsible to avoid going to jail.

However, Al Kobaisi's lawyer Abdulrahman Mohammed Ghunaim said he stuck by his earlier claim that 98 per cent of all those affected had been compensated.

'No way there are 20 others with whom we have not reached a settlement,' he said.

'We have of course reached a settlement with 98 per cent of them and there is only about two per cent remaining which we are hoping to settle shortly.'

The dhow capsized during a Nass, Murray and Roberts party to celebrate the completion of concreting work at the Bahrain World Trade Centre on March 30, 2006.

The South-African company had hired the dhow from Island Tours, which leased it from the Abdulla Al Kobaisi Company for Travel and Tourism.

The dhow's Bahraini owner and his Indian captain Rajendra Kumar Ramjibhai were convicted of manslaughter.

Ramjibhai was jailed for three years, later losing an appeal against his conviction.

He was released on August 6, 2008, and was deported on the same day, sources claimed.

His term had been slashed by a few months in account of his good behaviour while serving his sentence.

Ghunaim said on Monday that his client had been spared prison, despite being jailed for five years, because he was able to compensate most of the claimants.

However, the survivors' group spokesman said well over 20 people, far more than the two per cent quoted, were still involved in legal against the dhow owner.-TradeArabia News Service