KUWAIT CITY, Nov 27: The Court of Appeals presided over by Adel Al-Huwaidi upheld the verdict issued by the Court of First Instance which acquitted an Egyptian expatriate who was accused of theft. The court however sentenced his compatriot accomplice to two-year imprisonment with hard labor followed by deportation.

In his petition, the plaintiff said the side window of his vehicle was broken and a number of items including a black bag and laptop worth KD 140, a programmer set worth KD 280, a CD worth KD 70 and three books worth KD 180 were stolen from the vehicle. The officer in charge of the case explained that the first suspect, who was acquitted by the court, sold the laptop to an individual who did not know it was stolen. The first suspect had received the laptop from the second suspect, whom the court found guilty. During the court session, the defense counsel of the first suspect Attorney Abdullah Al-Alanda stressed the lack of sufficient evidences against his client, insisting that the penal verdicts are not based on suspicions or speculations.

Decision overruled: The Court of Appeals has canceled the decision of Ministry of Higher Education to refuse equalizing a Kuwaiti citizen’s certificate of bachelor degree in economics which was issued by Thomas A. Edison State University in United States of America. The court ordered the ministry to equalize the plaintiff’s degree. The plaintiff counsel Mohammad Hamza Abbas, who had filed the case on behalf of the citizen, explained that his client was granted the bachelor degree certificate in economics from Thomas A. Edison University in United States of America. However, when he presented his certificate to the Ministry of Higher Education for equalization purpose, he was shocked by the ministry’s decision to refuse to equalize his certificate for unknown reasons.

US man extradited: An unidentified US citizen has been extradited to Kuwait from the United Arab Emirates following his arrest by the UAE Interpol upon a request from Kuwait, reports Al-Rai daily. The man was reportedly wanted by the law in connection with 10 crimes of robbing people and fraudulently withdrawing money from people’s accounts. The suspect has been referred to the Criminal Investigations Department.

Driver caught drunk: The Ahmadi police have arrested an Indian trailer truck driver for driving under the influence of alcohol, reckless driving and endangering the lives of others, reports Al-Rai daily. The daily added, after several motorists called the Operations Room of the Interior Ministry. It has been reported the police had difficulty in forcing the men to pull over and that he almost crashed into the police vehicle.

‘Mandoub’ betrays trust: Personnel from the Residence Affairs Security Department have arrested an Arab company representative (mandoub) for helping transfer the residence permit of some expatriates working in the company without the knowledge of the sponsor, reports Al-Anba daily. The daily added, the mandoub took advantage of the power of attorney given to him to commit the crime. The mandoub is said to have taken between KD 300 and KD 450 from each person for the ‘favor’. The daily added, the mandoub was arrested after the authorities set a trap for him. The man is expected to be deported for betrayal of trust.

By Jaber Al-Hamoud Al-Seyassah Staff and Agencies