Verdict in two fraud cases set for Thursday
Court dismisses citizen’s appeal
KUWAIT CITY, Sept 23: The Court of Appeals presided over by Judge Nasser Salem Al-Heid has adjourned to Thursday the two cases “embezzlement in Ministry of Health” and “fingerprint forgery in Ministry of Electricity and Water” for issuing verdicts.
In the “embezzlement” case, the Criminal Court previously had ruled to acquit a former undersecretary, his son and a director of the company accused of embezzling public funds. It convicted one of the officials of embezzlement and obliged him to pay KD 72,000 to one of the companies, as well as discharged him from his duties and imposed a fine of KD 144,000.
The court had based its judgment on lack of concrete evidences against the three accused. The Public Prosecution had referred the case to court following a report by the Kuwait AntiCorruption Authority against the suspects, accusing them of expropriating KD 117,000 and forging official documents and bank papers but they denied the accusations.
Regarding the second case of forging work attendance fingerprints and receiving salaries and wages undeservedly of which 35 employees in Ministry of Electricity and Water have been accused, the Criminal Court had acquitted all the defendants.
Citizen’s appeal rejected:
The Counsel Chamber in the Court of Cassation dismissed a Kuwaiti citizen’s appeal to oblige an expatriate to pay a cheque worth KD 300,000.
The citizen had sued the expatriate after the latter issued him with a typewritten cheque for a sum of KD 300,000. He demanded payment of its value as a result of a business transaction between them based on their partnership in a general trading and contracting company.
During the court session at the Court of First Instance, the defense counsel Lawyer Mubarak Al-Khashab representing the expatriate affirmed that the papers of the appellant lacked bank’s notice on nonavailability of balance drawable, and he challenged the appellant to present the bank’s notice at the due date of the cheque in 2009.
Having been asked to bring the bank’s notice, the appellant failed to produce it, forcing Lawyer Al-Khashab to call for rejection of the lawsuit. The Court of First Instance also refused the case due to the inability of the claimant to provide evidences. The claimant appealed at the Court of Appeals, and the case was referred to experts to verify that the cheque was blank. The Court of Appeals had also dismissed the appeal.