Expatriate seeks action against wife’s sponsor

RIYADH: An expatriate husband is asking the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) to take action against a Saudi sponsor who runs a polyclinic. The Saudi is responsible for the police taking action against the expatriate’s wife for alleged misappropriation of funds.

P. Shaji, who works as an accountant in a private establishment, petitioned the NSHR seeking legal redress for his wife, Shareena Ponnamkadavan, for alleged continuous harassment by the sponsor.

According to her husband, Ponnamkadavan has been employed in the clinic as an accountant since August 2008 at a monthly salary of SR2,000. Although she is a qualified accountant, she was brought into the Kingdom by the polyclinic authorities as a domestic aide to work in the house of a medical officer employed by the clinic.

“Since I work here in another establishment, the polyclinic allowed my wife to stay with me since she is my legal partner,” the husband said.

On Wednesday, Ponnamkadavan was taken into police custody because of a complaint made by her sponsor for alleged criminal misappropriation of clinic funds amounting to SR 507,000. The husband registered a complaint on Saturday with the NSHR stating the charge was baseless and is completely false. “The three accounts clerks who are currently working in the clinic were trained by my wife and she has streamlined the clinic’s accounting procedures during her employment.”

He said, “Ponnamkadavan’s salary was stopped from October 2009 and she became the victim of harassment, She was demoted to being a receptionist and was given odd jobs to take care of.”

The husband challenged the clinic authorities to prove any alleged misappropriation of funds by recourse to a competent auditor. Shaji demanded immediate release of his wife from police custody and that she be sent home on final exit following the payment of dues according to local laws.

Confirming the statement made by the husband, the president of the Federation of Kerala Associations in Saudi Arabia, K. Muralidheeran, told Arab News that the case was one of harassment against women. “We have brought this matter to the notice of the concerned authorities for necessary action.” He said NSHR has a separate department to handle such cases. “We are confident that it will take appropriate action to redress the grievances.”