KUWAIT CITY, Nov 30: The Court of Appeals overturned the ruling of the Criminal Court that sentenced two individuals, one of whom is Iranian, to 15 years in prison, followed by deportation, for possessing narcotics and intoxicants with the intent to traffic. The court acquitted the defendants due to lack of conclusive evidence and the invalidity of the arrest and search procedures.

It affirmed that the case file contained no proof conclusively establishing the defendants’ involvement in drug trafficking, indicating that the evidence presented by the Public Prosecution is merely a confidential investigation that did not rise to the level of certainty. The court added that the incident did not involve any actual sale or attempted distribution of the narcotics. It emphasized that the arrest and search procedures were carried out outside the conditions specified by law, rendering any resulting evidence invalid.

During the hearing, Attorney Inam Haidar, lawyer for the second defendant, argued that the arrest and search were invalid due to the absence of a warrantless offense. Haidar maintained that the accusation was based on information lacking seriousness and insufficient to establish criminal liability, which the court ultimately relied upon in issuing its acquittal ruling.