Kuwait’s battle against corruption left no stone unturned after it put its just judiciary in action, supported by the political leadership and relevant agencies, to recover the people’s looted funds and bring every accused or suspected person in the circle of corruption to trial with complete transparency and clarity, so that those involved in these crimes receive their punishment and serve as an example to anyone who dares to follow in their footsteps. Kuwait has thus consolidated its reform approach by digging up corruption and removing its remnants from all ministries and State institutions. The fierce war has reached leaders who ripened with corruption and thought they were immune from accountability and protected from the law, but the hand of firmness and justice was lying in wait for them.

Tomorrow, “everyone will be held accountable for what he has earned,” and everyone will be imprisoned for what his hands have committed. The hour of reckoning, although delayed, is inevitably coming. The elders, or those who thought they were elders and far from the guillotine of the law and the authority of accountability from the top of the leadership pyramid, including ministers, officials and some members of the ruling family, were the first to be subjected to the era of firmness, the Charter of Justice and the ‘Kuwait and its interest above all considerations’ approach in the courts, so that the law remains the impregnable fortress of the homeland and society. Al-Seyassah, which has always contributed to exposing many crimes of corruption and encroachment on public funds throughout its long history, prepared the following report on the most prominent anti-corruption trials to show the extent of the great war that the country has led and continues to lead against this crime and its henchmen.

2- Mubarak Al-Arou… Profiting from tenders. The Court of Cassation upheld the conviction of former Minister Mubarak Al-Arou and sentenced him to seven years in prison along with three other leaders, after it was proven that they profited from a government tender that was awarded through crooked means. The court considered what happened a blatant example of influence peddling and violating the law, shaking society’s confidence in the integrity of public service.

3- Mubarak Al-Harees… Exploiting influence, The Court of Cassation issued a final ruling sentencing former Minister and MP Mubarak Al-Harees to two years in prison with hard labor and a fine of KD566,000 after he was convicted of influence peddling in an industrial plots case. He is the first sitting minister in the National Assembly to be imprisoned by a final court ruling.

4- Ministers of Health … Gross neglect of public funds In the first judicial conviction of its kind against health ministers, the Court of Cassation convicted former Minister Dr. Ali Al-Obaidi, former Undersecretary Khaled Al-Sahlawi, and former Assistant Undersecretary Mahmoud Abdulhadi of gross negligence in relation to the ‘Atina Company’ contract for the treatment of Kuwaitis in the United States. The Court ruled to fine each of them KD20,000, dismiss them from their jobs, and bar them from holding government positions in the future. This ruling was described as historic as it is the first judicial precedent affecting health ministers.

5- The Judges’ Bribery Case... A Shock to the Judiciary The judiciary was not spared from accountability, as the Court of Cassation upheld the sentence imposed on judges — prison terms of up to seven years, with dismissal and confiscation of their assets. In addition, the Court of Cassation upheld varying prison sentences of up to 10 years imposed on businesspersons, lawyers and expatriates, with fines of millions of Kuwaiti dinars. The court emphasized in its reasoning that “bribery undermines the prestige of the judiciary and the confidence of society.”

6 - ‘Interior Ministry Hospitality’... Life Sentences and Millions The Court of Cassation increased the penalties regarding the ‘Interior Ministry Hospitality’ case, imposing life sentence on the main defendant and prison terms ranging from seven to 15 years for military personnel and businessmen, obligating them to repay tens of millions of Kuwaiti dinars and fine them double the embezzled amounts. It also ordered the dismissal of the leaders and the deportation of the convicted expatriates, thus, closing one of the largest financial corruption cases in the history of the Ministry of Interior.

7 - Pending cases... Talal Al-Khaled and Ahmad Al- Fahad In parallel with the previous rulings, other corruption cases remain pending in the judiciary, most notably the expenses case involving former Interior and Defense Minister Sheikh Talal Al-Khaled. He faces a preliminary sentence of 14 years in prison and the repayment of fines amounting to tens of millions of Kuwaiti dinars. The Ministers Court is also considering the case of former Defense Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad in the ‘secret expenses’ case, related to invoices for spending approximately KD400,000 to purchase vehicles and other belongings.