KUWAIT CITY, Nov 6: The Criminal Court, presided over by Counselor Bassam Al-Ghuwainem, is currently holding the trial of a former minister after receiving his case file, which includes charges of embezzling over 4 million dinars from a company with government ownership. The Criminal Court’s "Grievances Department" has overturned the Public Prosecution’s decision to dismiss this case. A businessman is also implicated, accused of causing harm to public funds and seizing more than 4 million dinars from a holding company in which the state has over a 25 percent stake, and the court has decided to bring the case to trial.

According to court records, the first defendant, who served as Vice Chairman of the company’s Board of Directors, was a public official appointed to safeguard the company’s interests. He was assigned the task of signing an employment contract with the second defendant (the current minister) as the company’s CEO. However, in collaboration with the second defendant, he allegedly signed the contract in a manner detrimental to the company’s interests, allowing the latter to gain personal profit and benefits. The employment contract, signed on March 1, 2014, included additional financial and employment benefits beyond what was previously approved by the Board of Directors, as explicitly stated in an annex to the contract.

The court charged the second defendant, the current minister, who also served as the former CEO and chairman of the holding company’s board, with unlawfully seizing the aforementioned sum with intent to appropriate it. This was done by using the employment contract dated March 1, 2014, which was approved and signed by the first defendant in violation of the Board of Directors’ decision.

After thorough examination of the incident, the court confirmed that the contract signed by the first defendant (M.N.), who was authorized by the company’s board, and the second defendant (the vice president), contained two clauses that significantly differed from the original terms in the authorization annex. These changes resulted in additional financial rights and obligations for the company, including automatic contract renewal for successive periods. The contract also stated that, if the company terminated the contract for any reason before its expiration, the contractor would be entitled to full payment for the remaining period.