The employer of a Filipino migrant worker who died at a World Cup training base last year has been charged with a crime by Qatari authorities.
The worker, who will only be referred to as Alexander, fell while fixing a set of lights at the Sealine Beach resort, which hosted the Saudi Arabian national team during Qatar 2022. This incident is the subject of an investigation by Salam Petroleum. The case was brought to the attention of a court by the Qatari public prosecutor.
It comes as a result of an earlier investigation into the circumstances surrounding the worker’s death, which was only made public a few days after the incident. It is believed that he fell off a ramp while walking alongside a forklift truck on the resort’s private road. After the fact, there were unproven suggestions that he might not have been wearing a safety harness at the time and that a third worker was not there to help with the work.
The government of Qatar confirmed: After a thorough investigation that included witness testimony and a review of all technical and medical reports, the case has been referred from the public prosecution to the criminal court.
When the Guardian visited Salam Petroleum’s offices in Doha, senior employees were not present, and they did not respond to a request for contact. A promise that management would get in touch following a visit to the resort, which is located 25 miles south of the capital of Qatar, has not been kept.
No timetable has been given for a result to the case. Regarding the initial investigation, a government official stated in December: The company will face legal action and severe financial penalties if the investigation finds that safety protocols were not followed.
The CEO of Qatar’s Reality Cup coordinating board of trustees, Nasser al-Khater, had caused debate when gotten some information about the episode by commenting that “passing is a characteristic piece of life”.
The Guardian is aware that an investigation into the death of a second World Cup worker has also concluded. Kenyan security guard John Njau Kibue fell from Lusail Stadium on December 10 after the Netherlands-Argentina quarterfinal match. His body is accepted to have been localized half a month after the fact. It is believed that local authorities completed their investigation and gave it to the Kenyan embassy, which then gave it to his family for consideration.
The family’s perspective is unknown, but the report is believed to have concluded that his death was an accident. If an investigation determines that the cause of death was work-related, sources familiar with the situation anticipated that his family would receive compensation, which is paid under Qatari law. However, it is unclear whether this has occurred. Al Sraiya Security Services, Kibue’s employer, did not respond to requests for comment.
The Guardian was informed by Fifa that the organization has been closely following both cases, but the organization declined to comment further.
