KUWAIT CITY, Jan 10: The Criminal Court adjourned to March 20 the cases related to real estate fraud and money laundering, filed against a former MP and others were accused. The cases were adjourned to study the experts’ report. In a recent court session, lawyer Ahmad Fathi Sorour, the defense counsel of the former MP, and the former head of the Egyptian People’s Assembly, called for the release of his client and urged the judiciary to acquit him.

On the other hand, the defense counsel of the victim, lawyer Ali Al-Attar, insisted on toughening the penalty on the accused and referring the case to the competent civil court. As per the case related to the real estate fraud, which is considered huge in this field, the crime was allegedly carried out by the company owned by the former MP, a businessman and four expatriates who are also accused of money laundering.

The number of affected people is about 1,500. The Public Prosecution charged the defendants with committing a money-laundering crime amounting to KD 188 million and 25 million Qatari riyals by deliberately possessing and acquiring these funds, knowing that they were obtained through real estate fraud by collecting those funds from the victims and others who were not informed. As for the case related to money laundering filed against the former MP and four Iranians who are accused of smuggling a quarter of a billion Kuwaiti dinars obtained through real estate fraud”, the Public Prosecution had charged the defendants with the crime of money laundering about KD 257 million, by deliberately possessing and acquiring that money obtained through real estate fraud, and depositing some of it in their personal accounts and the accounts of the former MP’s money exchange company, real estate companies, an engineering consultancy office, and other companies owned by him in Kuwaiti banks. By Jaber Al-Humoud Al-Seyassah Staff