KUWAIT CITY, Sept 27: In line with the directives of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad to accelerate the Kuwaitization of the judiciary, President of the Court of Appeals Judge Mohammed Al-Rifai announced significant progress in nationalizing judicial roles in various branches. Speaking at the court’s general assembly, Judge Al-Rifai explained that the criminal judiciary is now 100 percent Kuwaitized, the family judiciary 96 percent, the civil judiciary 93 percent, and the labor judiciary 80 percent, all staffed by qualified Kuwaiti professionals.

The past judicial year witnessed the termination of services for a large number of Egyptian counselors, along with the promotion of several Kuwaiti judges to the Court of Cassation. To address the resulting vacancies, the Supreme Judicial Council ended the secondment of counselors serving in the Court of First Instance and transferred them to the Court of Appeals.

In addition, several deputies from the Court of First Instance were promoted to the rank of counselor to meet the growing demand and caseload at the appeals level. Judge Al-Rifai praised the judiciary’s efforts throughout the judicial year, highlighting a case completion rate of 96.9 percent.

He said a total of 48,273 appeals were filed between September 1, 2024, and August 31, 2025. During the same period, the court reviewed 53,011 appeals and adjudicated 51,347 of them. Judge Al-Rifai praised the judiciary’s performance, saying, “Today is the harvest time, when we celebrate the fruits of your efforts in fulfilling your duties and protecting rights and freedoms. You can be proud of these efforts, which are a badge of honor on your chest and proof that you are the best qualified to bear this responsibility.”

He noted that the work distribution for the new judicial year was aimed to meet the needs of judges as much as possible, taking into account the conditions of the court circuits and the changes in personnel. Judge Al-Rifai urged judges to maintain the high completion rate and continue striving for even greater achievements. He stated, “At the end of each judicial year, we bid farewell to some of our esteemed colleagues and welcome new members to our ranks. Let us extend a warm welcome to the judges who have joined us, whether their secondment to the Court of First Instance has ended or they have been promoted to the rank of counselor and transferred to our court. We trust in their enthusiasm, dedication, and commitment to upholding the dignity and integrity of the judiciary.”

Judge Al-Rifai also expressed his appreciation to the judges whose service or secondment has ended and who have moved to the Court of Cassation or returned to their home countries, recognizing their valuable contributions and efforts. He emphasized that the state, under the leadership of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Mishal Al- Ahmad, His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled, and His Highness the Prime Minister, continues to provide unwavering material and moral support to the judiciary. In conclusion, Judge Al-Rifai urged all judges to intensify their efforts, accelerate the resolution of pending appeals, particularly older cases, and adhere to the General Assembly’s decisions regarding the work distribution plan. Meanwhile, the Court of Cassation has set the session of November 13 to issue its ruling in the high-profile case filed by Sheikh Ahmed Al-Fahad against former Interior Minister Sheikh Khaled Al-Jarrah and others who are accused of embezzling KD 19 million and possessing eavesdropping devices.

Previously, the Ministers’ Court ruled that the defendants could not be prosecuted due to a prior judgment. However, the Public Prosecution appealed that ruling, and the Court of Cassation has since reviewed the case and reserved it for a final ruling. Also, the Court of Cassation overturned a ruling issued by a lower court on the statute of limitations and ordered an airline to pay compensation worth KD 3,103,840 to a group of passengers after their flight from Istanbul to Kuwait was canceled a day before its scheduled departure in September 2018.

According to case details, the plaintiffs, represented by Lawyer Ahmed Odeh Al-Dousari, had booked tickets with the airline, only for the flight to be abruptly canceled, resulting in material and moral damages. They subsequently filed a compensation claim. The Court of First Instance dismissed the case due to the statute of limitations, and the Court of Appeal upheld that ruling. However, the passengers appealed to the Court of Cassation, which ruled in their favor, affirming their right to compensation and ordering the airline to cover legal expenses and attorney’s fees.

By Jaber Al-Hamoud Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff