Kuwaiti acquitted on human trafficking charges – 585 work visas provided for Expats

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KUWAIT CITY, Oct 10: The Court of Appeals acquitted the Kuwaiti owner of a company of the charge of human trafficking during the implementation of a work contract with the US Army in Kuwait to facilitate provision of visas for a large number of expatriate workers. The Public Prosecution charged the accused and others with forming an organized criminal group for bringing the victims from their country to Kuwait through fraud and deception, and obtaining large sums of money from them by deluding them of the existence of job opportunities for them inside the country.

The suspects carried out these activities by taking advantage of a contract concluded between the US Army and the company of the first defendant to provide 585 workers for educational and training services for the benefit of the US Army in Kuwait. During the court session, the defense counsel to the first defendant Lawyer Jarrah Hadi Al-Enezi explained that his client, who pleaded not guilty to the accusations against him, faced complications and intransigence by the Inspection and Labor Department. The company file was closed, which made it unable to complete the administrative procedures he had started for registering workers.

The lawyer added that the investigations conducted were faulty and invalid given that the prosecution did not present tangible evidence, let alone the absence of the elements of the crime and criminal intent of his client. The court responded to the defense of Lawyer Jarrah Al- Enezi, and acquitted his client of the charges of human trafficking and illegally recruiting migrant workers. By Jaber Al-Hamoud Al-Seyassah Staff and Agencies

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