Bahrain Mirror (Exclusive): The King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa once said: "I do not believe in the democracy of decrees!" In fact, he has never believed in anything but decrees. He also seemed to have forgotten the existence of a Shura Council and House of Representatives.

The Official Gazette, issued by the Government of Bahrain, revealed a major scandal that could shake the most notorious regimes. The King of Bahrain, as the Official Gazette clearly indicates, signed the value added tax (VAT) decree on Friday (October 5, 2018). However, the decree was issued on Saturday, October 6 and the House of Representatives met on Sunday (October 7) to approve the decree, whereas the Shura Council met on Monday (October 8) to approve the decree as well.

According to the decree issued by the king, "the Law on value added tax is to be enacted as of January 1". He signed the decree, issued, promulgated and scheduled it for implementation, without waiting for the Shura Council and House of Representatives to hold their sessions in order to approve the bill.

Is it lawful to issue a decree and publish in the official gazette before being issued by the legislative authority? This question should be left for legal and legislative experts to answer.

It is noteworthy that the official gazette is a newspaper published by the government that includes all issued laws, decrees and official orders. It also contains judicial verdicts and official announcements. The law is deemed immediately effective once published in the newspaper.

Arabic Version