Verdict overturned as court acquits young woman of driving drunk and causing death

Panel rejects three appeal lawsuits

By Jaber Al-Hamoud

Al-Seyassah Staff

KUWAIT CITY, Nov 17: The Misdemeanor Circuit of the Court of Appeals overturned the verdict issued by the Court of First Instance, sentenced a young woman to six-month imprisonment. The court instead acquitted her of all charges.

The Public Prosecution had charged the defendant of driving under the influence of liquor, thereby endangering her life and that of others. She was also charged with manslaughter as the car she was driving overturned, resulting in the death of her friend who was with her in the car.

Lawyer Ena’am Haidar, who represented the young woman in court, argued that the victim died in the hospital due to broken skull, crushing of the brain, and internal bleeding.

She indicated that the lawsuit showed no evidence to prove her client was the driver, adding that her client kept on denying that she was driving at the time and that the victim was the one who drove.

Lawyer Haidar said the testimonies were inconclusive, and in such cases, the evidence is explained in favor of the defendant, and she then asked the court to acquit her client.

Lawsuits rejected:

The appeal consideration committee in the Constitutional Court headed by Judge Yousef Al-Mutawa rejected three appeal lawsuits concerning unconstitutionality of leadership appointments in the Amiri Diwan, a decision issued by the State Audit Bureau pertaining to the end-ofservice remuneration, and discrimination in rights of a lab attendant in receiving risk allowance similar to the lab supervisor.

In the first appeal, the litigants were the prime minister, the state minister for the

Security forces in the Ahmadi Governorate arrested 50 people for violating residence and labor laws, reports Annahar daily.

The daily added some of those

Amiri Diwan, and the state minister for Cabinet Affairs. They stressed the unconstitutionality of article 30 of Decree No. 111/2015 which amended some of the clauses in Decree No. 4/1997 concerning civil service. The amended articles exempted leadership appointments in the Amiri Diwan through the Civil Service Commission (CSC) as it prevails in the government sector. In the second appeal, the litigants highlighted the unconstitutionality of the State Audit Bureau’s Decision No. 22/2013 and 6/2014 related to end-of-service due for citizens, as the procedures applied on the employees of State Audit Bureau in this regard differ from other employees in the government sector.

This difference

is in terms of

who are arrested had overstayed in the country (not renewed their residence permit).

During the campaign police and Municipality inspectors

specifying the service term in order to deserve the end-of-service remuneration. According to the litigants, the practice is in violation of equality, as stipulated in Article No. 29 of the Constitution.

The third appeal is in relation to the CSC’s decision No. 37040 issued on 23/11/2016 which deprived a lab attendant the right to receive risk allowance, although the same allowance is given to the lab supervisor in the government schools. The litigant said such a decision is unconstitutional due to the fact that both employees operate in the same environment in terms of risks.

Teacher attacked:

The Public

seized large quantities of foodstuffs, fruits and a quantity of clothes for sale.

Legal procedures have been adopted against those arrested.

Prosecution detained for investigations a guardian and his two sons who are accused of attacking a teacher in a school in Ahmadi Governorate.

The teacher, who works at Othman bin Madho’en Intermediate School of Ahmadi Educational Zone was attacked by a man and his two sons, resulting in bruises throughout his body.

Reportedly, one of the two boys who is a student in the school had come late. The teacher did not prevent him from entering but wanted to record his name in the late students’ list. An argument broke out between the teacher and the father, which escaped into a physical attack by the father and his sons.