Life-term to acquittal for Egyptian in drugs case – Travel ban overturned

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KUWAIT CITY, July 22: The Court of Appeals nullified the judgment of the Court of First Instance which sentenced an Egyptian to life imprisonment with hard labor for drug trafficking on board a flight from Cairo to Kuwait, resulting in his acquittal.

According to the case file, a customs officer at Kuwait International Airport noticed the accused was late in picking up his two bags which the screening machines signaled to contain illegal items. The officer did not open the luggage until the owner arrived as per the law. The bags were opened when the suspect arrived at the customs post, so the officer searched them and detected the illegal items — hashish and Tramadol. The accused admitted to ownership of the items which were neatly concealed in the luggage.

However, the defendant’s lawyer, Attorney Ali Al-Wawan, faulted procedures leading to search and arrest of his client, citing failure to obtain a warrant from the concerned authorities. He accused the detective of arresting his client outside the customs post without any situation that warranted suspicion and later allowed him to return to the airport. He pointed out contradiction in the statements of the officer who claimed the suspect arrived from Asyout, but the man actually came from Cairo.

Travel ban ‘lifted’: The Civil Section in the Court of Appeals cancelled the verdict of the First Instance Court which imposed a travel ban on a citizen due to failure to settle debt amounting to KD 36,000 he obtained from a compatriot.

The lawsuit filed by Attorney Azbi Al-Namran, counsel for the defendant, said the latter was surprised by the travel ban decision asserting the First Instance Court did not take into consideration the fact that the debtor is a Kuwaiti and a public sector employee, so it is impossible for him to flee from the country.

The lawyer added his client is facing a financial crisis so he was not able to pay the debt. He explained his client is also the debtor of a local bank and the other party in the lawsuit did not present evidence on the ability of the latter to pay.

Sports club fined: A commercial court in Kuwait has ordered a sports club to pay compensation worth KD 100,000 to a Kuwaiti player for material and moral damages he sustained following a traffic accident, reports Al Shahed daily.

The plaintiff’s counsel Lawyer Fatima Safar based her argument on the concrete evidence of the mistake of the driver of the vehicle that belongs to the sports club.

She demanded compensation for her client for the material and moral damages he sustained including deep-cut injuries in both legs that forced her client to seek treatment overseas.

Lawyer Safar revealed that her client still suffers from pain and is unable to walk properly, which has deprived him at such a young age from joining the club and continuing with his profession as a sportsman.

The court issued a ruling in favor of the plaintiff and ordered the sports club to pay compensation worth KD 100,000 to her client.

12 sheep stolen: A Kuwaiti citizen has filed a theft case against an unknown individual who broke the fence of his Abdalli farm and stole 12 sheep, reports Al-Seyassah daily.

The citizen revealed his shock when he noticed 12 of his sheep had disappeared and then noticed the broken fence, after which he realized the sheep were stolen.

He said he did not suspect anyone. Securitymen took necessary steps to find and arrest the suspect.

By Jaber Al-Hamoud

Al-Seyassah Staff

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