KUWAIT CITY, July 8: A Kuwaiti pilot who was aboard the KAC Dubai-Kuwait flight and is in custody of the Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh police on charges of drinking alcohol and assaulting a customs officer and a securityman at the Kuwait International Airport says he was a victim of embarrassment and abuse of power by the customs officer.
Speaking by phone from behind bars he told the Al-Rai daily that a Forensic report and the CCTV cameras at the airport will prove his innocence.
He explained after the Kuwait-Dubai flight landed at the Kuwait International Airport the customs officer during routine inspection insulted him in front of the airport employees and passengers.
He added when he tried to defend himself he was surrounded by a group of customs officers. One officer held him, some beat him and handcuffed him and took him to the customs office where he was verbally attacked by a securityman.
When asked if he flew the plane to Kuwait, he replied in the negative and said it was his friend. He added he was just a passenger on the plane but he was in uniform for which he had the approval of the Director of Operations.

He said the issue has been blown out of proportion because he is involved in dispute with the Kuwait Airways Corporation and the case will come up for a final hearing next week.
On allegations that he was under the influence of alcohol and that he was carrying bottles of liquor, the pilot said “If I was carrying liquor then where are the bottles? This is a new accusation against me. The cameras will not tell lies,” he said.
The pilot has asserted that he was taken to Forensic and the results will show if he was drunk or not.
Meanwhile, a customs source told the daily the pilot arrived at the customs counter in an abnormal condition (under influence of alcohol) and when a customs officer asked him to allow his baggage to be checked, he refused and beat the inspector.
The source added when the customs officers tried to ‘control’ the man he resisted and securitymen had to intervene. When he was being handcuffed he even assaulted a securityman.
After that he was detained at the customs office and then taken to the Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh Police Station.