From life in jail to acquittal for an Egyptian man

This news has been read 5146 times!

KUWAIT CITY, Nov 30: The Court of Appeals overruled the verdict of the Court of First Instance that sentenced an Egyptian man to life in prison for drug trafficking, and thereby acquitting the defendant of all allegations.

The prosecution officer from Drug Control General Department said he received a tip off that the suspect was in possession of illicit drugs and intoxicants for sale and consumption purposes, so he secured search warrant from the Public Prosecution Department and raided the residence of the suspect alongside other detectives.

The officers searched the place and found a nylon bag inside his pockets with a suspicious white powder and drug paraphernalia. They stumbled on yet another polythene bag containing 16 different sizes of transparent nylon sachets with suspicious white substance, an unspecified quantity of illicit pills, two large pieces of a dark substance, and a green stocking containing a quantity of pills.

They also found other transparent nylon bags, a black scale and notebook in which proceeds from the sales were recorded. Defense Lawyer En’am Haider faulted the action of the officers coupled with procedures for obtaining the search warrant. She noted thorough investigation had not been conducted in that regard, while the quantity of drugs seized were not enough for the alleged purpose. She added her client was not caught selling narcotics or arrested in the act of sealing a deal with any detective. She insisted the scale and notebook recovered was not enough evidence to prove they were for selling drugs.

Verdict upheld: The Court of Appeals upheld Wednesday the verdict of a lower court which sentenced the owner of infamous Twitter account (@Kibret1) to 10 years in jail with hard labor, and acquitted the lawyer and journalist who were implicated in the case. Previously, the Criminal Court sentenced the owner of the account to 10 years in jail with hard labor, and obliged the accused to pay temporary compensation of KD5,001 to the inheritors of the late Jassem Al-Kharafi. It ordered referral of case to the concerned civil section, whereas two other defendants were acquitted. Case files indicate the Public Prosecution accused @Kibret1 of posting words deemed offensive to the entity of HH the Amir, instigating sedition, spreading false news and offending the judicial authority and other personalities in the country, while the two acquitted defendants were charged as accomplices of the controversial Twitter account owner.

Lawyer fined: The Misdemeanor Court has fined a lawyer KD 100 for insulting an officer of rank ‘Sergeant Major’ from Ministry of Interior at the court premises. According to the case file, the officer was performing his duty at the court in the criminal secretariat office on April 26 when he heard a lawyer shouting loudly at the secretary. He intervened and tried to pacify the lawyer but the latter, due to his ego, did not appreciate the officer’s attempt and mockingly told him to go away. At that time, the officer reminded the lawyer that he, being a lawyer, should behave.

By Jaber Al-Hamoud Al-Seyassah Staff

This news has been read 5146 times!