Doha: A Qatari judge ruled on Monday that no one will serve time in prison for a May 2012 Doha mall fire that left 19 dead, including nursery school children, local media reported.
The Court of Appeal, however, ordered the five defendants to pay compensation to the victims’ families in the form of “blood money”, as laid down under Islamic law, according to a local news site.
Among the five defendants is Shaikh Ali Bin Jasem Al Thani, Qatar’s ambassador to Belgium.
According to the Qatari government website, Al Thani is also head of mission to the European Union.
The diplomat was co-owner of the ‘Gympanzee’ nursery at the Villagio mall, scene of the fire.
Many of the 13 children who died were found to have asphyxiated after a blaze was triggered at a nearby sports store due to faulty wiring. They included two-year-old triplets from New Zealand.
Children from France, Spain and Japan also perished, as did teachers from the Philippines and South Africa.
Two firefighters were also among the dead.
Last October, Al Thani was one of four defendants who successfully challenged an involuntary manslaughter conviction handed down in 2013 by a criminal court.
A fifth defendant was given a one-year suspended sentence, the media said.
