KUWAIT CITY, Sept 5: The Criminal Circuit of the Court of First Instance refrained from punishing a Kuwaiti citizen who was accused of possessing hashish for consumption and driving his vehicle under narcotic influence.

The court obligated him to pay a fine of KD 200 and commit to good behavior for a period of one year.

According to the testimony of the relevant traffic officer, he was conducting a field tour of Hawally area when he saw the citizen committing a traffic violation and ordered him to pull over.

As he approached the citizen, he noticed the latter throw away a small piece of paper used for folding cigarettes. When he picked up the paper, he saw a brown substance stuck on it, which he suspected was a drug. He searched the citizen before telling him to sit in the patrol vehicle.

The citizen admitted that the paper belongs to him and he threw it away out of fear. The citizen was taken to Nugra Police Station and then to the concerned authority.

The citizen’s legal counsel Lawyer Ali Al-Alanda said the arrest and search processes conducted on his client were illegal as his client was not caught red-handed. He highlighted the contradictions in the testimony of the arresting officer, affirming that his client had denied the allegations directed at him. Meanwhile, the Criminal Court on Tuesday will listen to presentations from the defendants in a case in which four Egyptians and a lawyer are standing trial for allegedly kidnapping a Kuwaiti lawyer. The suspects allegedly kidnapped the lawyer on the ground floor of his office in Sharq and took him to a livestock pen where he was kept, tortured and forced to sign some documents. The State Security accused the suspects of kidnapping , impersonation of security operatives, physical attack, curtailing of freedom and theft. They all denied the allegations during the first hearing.

By Jaber Al-Hamoud Al-Seyassah Staff