Jail to acquittal for two peddlers

12/07/2025

KUWAIT CITY, July 12: The Court of Appeals overturned a verdict of three years ' imprisonment with hard labor issued by a lower court against two individuals accused of trafficking imported liquor. The court instead acquitted them. Lawyer Abdul Mohsen Al-Qattan highlighted the weakness of the evidence and contradictions in the investigations. The case began in March 2024, when authorities raided the home of one defendant in Sabah Al-Salem and found quantities of imported liquor and cash. Four defendants were arrested in total, and searches of their apartments in Sabah Al-Salem and Salwa uncovered more alcoholic beverages as well as suspected narcotics.

After a thorough review of the investigation and seizure records, the court found insufficient evidence to prove the intent to traffic against the first and third defendants. It noted that the defendants’ confessions were obtained under conditions that did not meet legal standards for conviction, especially given the lack of direct investigation and absence of witnesses to support the mass trafficking allegations. Lawyer Al-Qattan emphasized procedural shortcomings, highlighting contradictions in the police officers’ statements and stressing that the raid did not comply with the requirements of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

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