Court annuls jail sentence over receiving labor allowance

KUWAIT: The Court of Appeals yesterday annulled a first instance court’s verdict sentencing a citizen to 10 years in jail for unlawfully receiving the national labor support allowance. The court abstained from punishing the citizen and only fined him KD 200. It also made him sign an affidavit pledging to show good conduct for two years. Notably, the public prosecution had charged 146 male and female citizens of unlawfully getting a total of KD 200,000 from the Manpower and Government Restructuring Program (MGRP) in the form of national labor support allowances paid through a private sector company that they supposedly worked for. The suspects were sentenced to jail times varying between five and 10 years, returning the money they received and a KD 1,000 fine each to suspend the verdicts.

Tobacco taxes

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states intend to double tobacco taxes to 200 percent instead of 100 percent by the beginning of 2017, said UAE’s minister of state for financial affairs Obaid Hameed Al-Tayer.

Cafe cabins

Municipal Council member Mane Al-Ajmi yesterday filed a proposal to discuss cafes at the council’s meeting on Monday. Ajmi stressed that some serious action should be taken, especially after discovering a ‘vice den’ inside a Jahra cafÈ. He proposed banning cabins or gazebos inside cafes. He also pointed out that serving shisha indoors violates the smoking ban law.