Suspects in ‘MoI Hospitality case’ get various jail terms

KUWAIT CITY, Sept 18: After three years and seven months in the courts, the Court of Appeals, presided over by Judge Nasser Al Haid, has issued a ruling in the case known as “Ministry of Interior Hospitality case” filed against 24 individuals including Adel Al-Hashash, who was a brigadier in the Ministry of Interior.

Al-Hashash has been sentenced to 15 years in prison with hard labor, and obligated to pay a double fine of KD 113 million. In the public hearing, the court sentenced the defendants Iqbal Al-Khalfan and Walid Al-Sanea to two-year imprisonment with hard labor, and ordered the payment of KD 20,000 to suspend the verdict, in addition to dismissal from their jobs.

Earlier, the Court of First Instance had acquitted defendant Sheikh Ahmed Al-Khalifa, but the Court of Appeals overturned the ruling and sentenced him to two-year imprisonment, as well as payment of KD 20,000 to suspend the verdict, and dismissal him from his position. The court also sentenced the defendant Abdullah Al-Hammadi to ten-year imprisonment with hard labor for conspiring to commit fraud, and restitution of more than KD 7 million, which is double the fine.

It refrained from pronouncing punishment against the typist but obliging him to submit a financial guarantee. The court also declined to punish the defendant Ahmed Abdul Aziz, as well as the defendants Muhammad Ali Al- Kazemi and Muhammad Tariq Al-Kazemi, and obligated them to return KD 5 million, which is doubled the amount.

However, it upheld the first-degree verdict issued against defendants Maher Al-Baghli and Abeer Marafie, and ordered their dismissal from office.

It also upheld the verdict issued against the defendant businessman Hamad Al-Tuwaijri. The court also refrained from pronouncing punishment for the defendant businesswoman Ghosoun Al-Khaled, but obligated her to pay KD 5,000, and return the sum of KD 3 million, as well as fined her twice the amount.

The court acquitted the defendant Ahmed Al-Khaled, upheld the imprisonment of four defendants, and canceled all fines on companies ordered by the Court of First Instance. According to the case file, the financial corruption within the Ministry of Interior was revealed years ago, becoming one of the top corruption cases in the country.

As per the investigations, the former director of Public Relations and Security Media in the Ministry of Interior Brigadier Adel Al-Hashash had abused his office, which was responsible for organizing the ministry’s activities and receiving delegations. He had formed a network of those involved and they worked with him for years to create fake delegations and events that included travel and hotel reservations and gift distribution in order to submit invoices, and receive large sums of money from the ministry in return. By Jaber Al-Hamoud Al-Seyassah Staff and Agencies