Nine Indians get 5 years in jail over fight with Egyptians

This news has been read 6624 times!

KUWAIT CITY, June 5: The Criminal Court has sentenced nine Indians — identified only as T.S., V.K., R.R.S., R.S., G.R.S., S.P., S.S., A.D.S., and S.P. — to five years imprisonment each and another who had earlier been released and whose identity is not available to one year.

The men were arrested following a brawl with the Egyptians at the Camels Market in August 2014, during which one Egyptian died and several others from both sides were seriously injured. Although all of them were earlier released on bail, the main accused identified only as S.P., was held at the Deportation Center because, according to sources, he is also a violator of residence law. Following the release, the authorities had slapped a travel ban on those released on bail pending a court verdict. A total of 15 Indians were arrested by the police immediately after the fight, but six of them were released by the Public Prosecution citing lack of evidence.

The Indian Embassy in Kuwait had intervened on behalf of S.P. and with help from Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs got his passport and handed it over to his company representative to complete residence permit formalities but the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor had turned down the request due to his involvement in the alleged murder. According to case papers it all started when some Egyptians reportedly did not allow one of the Indians to occupy a vacant seat on the company transport bus while they were on their way to their camp.

The Egyptians reportedly beat two Indians on the bus and when the vehicle arrived at their residence in the camp, both sides attacked each other with whatever they could lay their hands on including knives and batons. About 30 people — Indians and Egyptians — were injured. Some had fractures and others stab wounds and were referred to the Jahra, Sabah and Farwaniya hospitals. All those arrested were referred to the concerned security department for interrogation following which the Indian government took up the issue with Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Since then the Indian Embassy in Kuwait has been closely following up the developments and providing all possible assistance in line with the law of the land.

6 out in bail: The Detention Renewal Panel, headed by Judge Muhammad Ghazi Al-Mutairi, ordered the release of six individuals on bail of KD 1,000 each. These six individuals have been accused of obtaining nationality in a fraudulent manner, says Al-Seyassah. Case files indicate that officers from the Citizenship and Passports Affairs General Department of Nationality and Travel Documents arrested two siblings and their cousin — all of them Syrians working in the Defense Ministry. According to security sources, investigations proved that one of the accused met the Kuwaiti suspect in 2000 when he offered to add the names of the two siblings into his file as his sons in return for KD 15,000 each. One year after the men got their Kuwaiti passports and civil IDs, they agreed with the same Kuwaiti to add the name of another person into his nationality file for KD 10,000. After two years, one of the accused added the son of his relative to his file in exchange for KD 12,000 and got the citizenship.

Hearing adjourned: The Court of Cassation, presided over by Judge Dr Jamal Al-Enezi, adjourned until June 12, 2016 the hearing on a case filed by former MP Abdullah Al-Bargash and his family against the Ministry of Interior due to its decision to withdraw their citizenship. Case files indicate that the First Instance Court ruled against the citizenship withdrawal and ordered the government to pay temporary compensation of KD 5,001 to the plaintiff (Al-Bargash family). However, the Court of Appeals overturned the verdict saying it has no jurisdiction over the case since Al-Bargash was not born to a Kuwaiti father and that he obtained citizenship through naturalization. Al-Bargash’s family then appealed the ruling at the Court of Cassation, where they argued that there is no constitutional barrier preventing the submission of an appeal on any case or verdict to the judiciary. They asserted Al-Bargash was born to a Kuwaiti father, thereby, contradicting the conclusion of the Court of Appeals.

By Paul Francis X. Fernandes Arab Times Staff

This news has been read 6624 times!