A former driver for the Moroccan Embassy in Bahrain, who has served under six ambassadors over the past 25 years, claims he is being denied thousands of dinars in indemnity.

Indian Chandran Madhavan, 60, filed a successful case at the High Administrative Court in December over an outstanding payment of BD8,231 ($21,697) he says he is owed, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

However, it has been four months since then and he has still not been paid - plus he now also claims he has been slapped with a travel ban after the embassy allegedly filed a complaint against him at a police station.

“I worked with the Moroccan Embassy since it was established in 1989 and served under six ambassadors,” Madhavan told the GDN.

“I worked in two homes as the ambassadors' driver and was always loyal in my service.

“In fact, the previous ambassador gave me a certificate for my loyalty and I was treated with respect.

“My monthly salary was BD354 and I was told on July 2014 that my service was no longer needed.

“However, I was then told to wait until I get my indemnity of BD8,231.”

Madhavan, who has two 31-year-old children and a wife, said he badly needed to undergo heart surgery but is now jobless and stuck in Bahrain.

“I don't have money to eat and stay with three friends in a small apartment in Manama,” he said.

“They pay for my food and drink but they can no longer afford to do that.

“They also helped pay for my ticket to India which cost BD50, but I cannot travel now because immigration said I had a travel ban after the embassy filed a complaint against me.

“I am the only breadwinner in my family and have a 31-year-old son and 31-year-old daughter and their mother to pay for.

“I just want to go back to India and it is my right to get my money after 25 years of service. I also need BD35 every month to pay for my medication for heart problems and diabetes.”

Lawyer Bushra Mayoof, who represented Madhavan in court, said the embassy had been ordered to pay BD8,231 by January 25 but her client was still waiting on his payment.

“My client has now been waiting to get his payment since July last year. However, the embassy is yet to pay and he now has a travel ban imposed on him,” she said.

The next step would be to take the case to the Execution Court, which has the power to freeze the embassy's assets, Mayoof said.

No-one from the Moroccan Embassy could be reached for comment when contacted by the GDN. - TradeArabia News Service