State Security Department: Respect for the Amir is a duty
In its absentia ruling issued yesterday, the Criminal Court (State Security Division) sentenced former MP Mohammed Al-Mutair to five years’ imprisonment with hard labor. The court affirmed that respecting the country’s political leadership, headed by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, and upholding his constitutional decisions aimed at safeguarding national security and the people’s interests, is a national and constitutional duty rooted in a deep belief in the unity of the homeland and the cohesion of its citizens.
The court, in the reasoning behind its ruling issued yesterday under the presidency of Advisor Nasser Al-Badr and with the participation of judges Omar Al-Mulifi, Abdullah Al-Falih, and Salem Al-Zaid, stressed the necessity of respecting institutions and entities, particularly the judiciary, as an integral part of the system of governance and the state’s authority. Their prestige demands reverence from all, enabling them to fulfill their noble mission in an atmosphere of calm and reassurance, protected by the rule of law.
It added that the defendant, as a former representative of the nation and a role model in word and deed, should have respected the finality of judicial rulings rather than engaging in veiled defamation and disparagement of the judiciary, which clearly indicates his bad faith. This was demonstrated by his repeated statements and insinuations undermining the judicial authority, despite the issuance of previous final judgments.
The court emphasized that society “would derive no benefit from these remarks” repeated by the defendant, which constitute “a transgression and departure from the bounds of permissible criticism and public interest considerations, into deliberate offense for its own sake, with nothing behind it.” It noted that the defendant’s insistence on a noble goal—exercising his guaranteed right to criticize and advise for the sake of the country’s interest—would not serve him.
The State Security Division issued seven rulings yesterday in various cases concerning state security and money laundering, led by the absentia judgment against Al-Mutair, along with an order to confiscate the video clip that was the subject of the prosecution.
The court convicted Al-Mutair of charges including questioning the rights and authority of the Amir, attributing statements to His Highness without specific authorization, failing to show due respect to the President of the Supreme Council of the Judiciary, insulting the President and members of the Council and the Public Prosecution, attempting to influence Constitutional Court judges through commands and requests for rulings in his favor, and misusing social media. He was acquitted of the charge of inciting tribal strife.
In a money laundering case, the court sentenced 21 defendants and 17 commercial companies to 10 years’ imprisonment, fining the defendants 202 million dinars, equivalent to double the amount involved in the crime, and fining the companies 101 million dinars, representing the value of the funds involved. The court also ordered the deportation of non-Kuwaiti convicts after serving their sentences and confiscated forged documents.
In other cases, the court sentenced a citizen to five years’ imprisonment, issued a second ruling sentencing a defendant to ten years, and a third ruling sentencing another individual to three years. It also decided to refrain from pronouncing a sentence on a female defendant in a case related to sympathizing with an hostile state.
