‘Many persons sentenced in absentia still at large’

KUWAIT CITY, Jan 18: The Sentences Enforcement Department is looking into old files of people who had been sentenced in absentia, some of which are about 10 years old, reports Al-Rai daily. The daily added, those sentenced are still at large because of the inconsistencies in either their names or the Civil ID numbers. A senior security officer said the Sentences Enforcement Department is investigating a lot of old files, in addition to following up the movements of what the department called suspicious elements.

The officer pointed out the first success came in the arrest of a Saudi man who had been sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment in a kidnapping and rape case. He said the incident happened in 2008 and after going through several stages of litigation he was sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment.