Address forger gets reprieve

KUWAIT CITY, Oct 10: The Court of Appeals overturned the prison sentence imposed on the first defendant in a case involving the manipulation of residential addresses registered with the Public Authority for Civil Information, reports Al-Seyassah daily. The court decided not to impose a penalty for forging an official document, acquitted the defendant of unauthorized access to an automated system, and upheld his acquittal on charges of money laundering and bribery.

Previously, the Criminal Court had sentenced the first defendant to four years of hard labor for unauthorized access to an automated system and forgery of an official document. However, it had acquitted him of charges related to money laundering, bribery, and forming an organized criminal group. Lawyer Abdulmohsen Al-Qattan represented the first defendant and maintained his client’s innocence throughout the proceedings. He explained that the elements of money laundering were absent due to a lack of criminal intent.

The charge of joining a criminal group was unfounded, as the act of joining had never taken place.

Furthermore, the elements of bribery were not established and that no conclusive evidence proved the offense had occurred. Lawyer Al-Qattan insisted that the requirements for unauthorized access to an automated system had not been met. He challenged the legality of the defendant’s statements to the Public Prosecution, highlighted the absence of evidence linking his client to the alleged acts, and questioned the credibility of the investigations and the arresting officer’s testimony.

The defense submitted a dossier containing copies of the defendant’s marriage contract, documents relating to his family members, and purchase invoices for the confiscated gold jewellery. Taking into account his client’s circumstances and the facts of the case, the defense sought an acquittal as its primary request or, alternatively, the maximum possible leniency. The Court of Appeals overturned the prison sentence, decided not to impose a penalty for forging an official document, and acquitted the defendant of unauthorized access to an automated system. It also upheld his acquittal on the charges of money laundering and bribery