KUWAIT CITY, Dec 28: The Court of Appeal, led by Counselor Nasr Al-Haid and supported by Counselors Saud Al-Sanea and Tariq Metwally, has upheld a previous ruling by the Criminal Court sentencing a Ministry of Transport employee to seven years in prison. The court also ordered the defendant to pay a fine of 18 million dinars and dismissed him from his position. The Public Prosecution charged the individual, an administrative coordinator in the Services Accounts Department, with embezzling 6 million dinars from the Ministry of Transport. Tasked with collecting financial dues from subscribers, the accused misappropriated funds entrusted to him and failed to transfer them to the ministry, instead using them for personal gain.

The court determined that the accused was guilty of embezzlement of public funds, forgery, and money laundering. Evidence presented during the trial revealed that the individual deceived subscribers into believing their debts had to be paid either in cash or through deposits into his personal bank accounts. The accused also manipulated records by using his user credentials to issue fraudulent receipts and enter incorrect data regarding debt payments via the “K-Net” system. Notably, the accused had fled Kuwait but later surrendered himself after being convicted in absentia. Both the Criminal Court and the Court of Appeal upheld the in-absentia ruling following his surrender.