Al-Rifai: Strength of the Court of Appeal reduced due to transfers to the Court of Cassation and the departure of many Egyptians

While affirming that, in distributing work, every effort has been made to accommodate your preferences as much as possible within the constraints of the prevailing circumstances, with the primary consideration being the interest of the work itself, Muhammad Al-Rifai, President of the Court of Appeal, stated in his address to the General Assembly of the Court of Appeal: “As for the coming year, I ask Almighty God to make it a year of goodness for all. I urge you to exert even greater effort so that justice is not compromised, particularly in light of the reduction in the Court’s strength of First Counselors and Counselors due to the transfer of some of them to the Court of Cassation, and the departure of a large number of our Egyptian colleagues upon the expiration of their contracts, which compelled us to reduce the number of panels to address this shortfall.”

Al-Rifai added, “This judicial year is nearing its end, and another is approaching—may each year find you in good health. I must also commend the extraordinary effort you have devoted to hearing and adjudicating appeals at unprecedented rates, as reflected in the statistics issued by the Court during the past judicial year. You have demonstrated a high level of responsibility, which is no surprise to us, as we have always come to expect it from you. Your adjudication of appeals at such a high rate and within appropriate timeframes has had the greatest impact in achieving prompt justice, which is the goal we all strive for, and which aligns with the distinguished and towering status and reputation of the pioneering Kuwaiti judiciary.”

Al-Rifai affirmed that the State, under the leadership of His Highness the Amir of the State, His Highness the Crown Prince, and the Prime Minister, spares no effort in providing all forms of moral and material support to the judiciary to enable them to fulfill their mission in the best possible manner. Continuing his address to the General Assembly, Al-Rifai said, “Allow me to remind us all of the directives of His Highness the Amir, may God protect and preserve him, regarding the acceleration of the Kuwaitization of the judiciary. The Court of Appeal has kept this objective at the forefront of its agenda from the very beginning. We thank God that we are nearing the realization of this aspiration. It is my pleasure, as the judicial year comes to a close, to meet with you in your esteemed General Assembly, which I have been honored to preside over.”