Court acquits two Kuwaitis of carrying, trading in drugs – ‘Not guilty of insider trading’

KUWAIT CITY, Feb 27: The Criminal Court acquitted two citizens of possessing hashish and metamorphine for trading and personal consumption. Details of the case revealed that investigations of the arresting officer led to one of the suspects who had in his possession some drugs for trading and personal use. The officer obtained an arrest warrant from the Public Prosecution then went to Jahra stable where the suspect was located at the time. The suspect tried to escape when he felt the presence of the officer who apprehended the other suspect who was found in possession of a packet of drugs. This suspect said the drugs belong to his colleague. Further investigations led to the arrest of the suspect who was first reported to be in Jahra stable. During interrogation at the Public Prosecution, the two suspect denied the charges but the reports and results of their urine tests proved they consumed drugs. Lawyer for the accused, Attorney Talal Sabr Al-Enezi, defended his clients in court as he called for invalidating the arrest and investigation procedures.

‘Man not guilty’: The Misdemeanor Court acquitted a citizen of sealing deals to purchase bogus shares in Kuwait Capital Market with the intention of enticing more people to buy, which led to falling prices of shares. A legal researcher at the Capital Market Authority said he was monitoring transactions when he discovered the suspect was frequently transacting business with shares of a company within the past two months in a manner likely to Contravene Article 122 of Law No. 7/2010. He reduced the price of shares by selling few quantities for low prices. He later increased the price to attract buying and selling through which he earned profits. Lawyer Abdul-Aziz Al-Benwan in his defense denied the allegation against his client. He said the defendant did not mean any harm and didn’t do anything criminal. He said engaging in capital market transactions should not attract punishment. He argued that his client did not have previous knowledge of the market prices, low or high.

Payment blocked: The Fast Track Circuit at the First Instance Court accepted request by a trading company to suspend payment order for a Gulf communication company. Earlier, the court approved payment order of KD 5,400 for the communication company and obliged the trading company to bear 7 percent of the legal expenses. Lawyer Khawla Mubarak Al- Hasawi, representing the trading company argued that the payment order against her client was illegal, indicating the trading company was not notified about the proceedings, whereas as the trading company was filing for bankruptcy. The court agreed that the trading company should have been notified and it seems the bailiff did not conduct necessary investigation to deliver the message to the right address; thus, enforcement of the decision was suspended until the bankruptcy issue is resolved.

By Jaber Al-Hamoud Al-Seyassah Staff