Advisor Hani Al-Hamdan Appointed President of the Council of Ministers

The General Assembly of the Court of Appeal decided to form the Ministers’ Court, headed by Judge Hani Al-Hamdan. The court’s original membership, in addition to Al-Hamdan, includes First Judges Adnan Al-Jasser and Muhammad Ja’far, and Judges Ahmad Al-Sadara and Khalifa Al-Najm. The substitute members are First Judges Muhammad Ali Salmeen and Dr. Hamad Abdullah Al-Mulla, Dr. Ahmad Al-Yasin, and Mishal Al-Mutawa, along with Judges Saud Al-Mutairi and Faisal Al-Harbi. The decision stipulates its implementation starting from October 1 of next year for a period of one year, in addition to their regular duties.

The decision also provided for the formation of the Committee for Investigating Ministers, with First Judge Hamad Al-Ammar, Judge Saud Al-Sa’ane, and Judge Dr. Ahmad Al-Muqallad serving as original members, and Judges Firas Al-Kandari and Fawzan Al-Anjari as substitute members. The decision stipulates its application from October 1, 2026, to September 30, 2027, in addition to their regular duties.

Furthermore, the decision appointed First Judge Abdul Hadi Al-Nuwayf and First Judge Lu’ay Al-Nasef as original members, and First Judge Badr Al-Wazan and Judge Salim Al-Azami as substitute members, to the Disciplinary Council for Judges, effective from October 1 for a period of one year.

The decision also appointed Judges Hasib Al-Habashi and Ala Muhammad Bahjat as original members, and Judges Wahid Ra’fat and Abdul Ghani Ata Allah as substitute members, to the Appellate Disciplinary Council for Lawyers regarding the regulation of the legal profession before the courts, effective from October 1 for a period of one year.

Earlier, in his opening address at the start of the Assembly’s session, the President of the Court of Appeal, Judge Muhammad 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, enabling them to fulfill their mission to the best of their ability.

He recalled His Highness the Amir’s directives to accelerate the Kuwaitization of the judiciary, a goal that the Court of Appeal has kept at the forefront of its agenda since the very beginning. Addressing the General Assembly of the Court yesterday, he said: “It is always a pleasure for us to express our profound gratitude and appreciation for the State’s support for the judiciary and the guardianship of justice, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad, His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid, and His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah. I would also like to thank the judges and staff of the Technical Office, as well as the Court Registry and all its employees, for their outstanding efforts, which have had a significant impact on facilitating the Court’s work and overcoming all obstacles.”

Judge Al-Rifai commended the extraordinary efforts exerted by the judges during the past year in hearing and adjudicating appeals at unprecedented rates, as revealed by the statistics issued by the Court during the previous judicial year. He stated: “You have demonstrated a high level of responsibility, which is not surprising, as we have always come to expect it from you. Your adjudication of appeals at this high rate and within appropriate timeframes has had the greatest impact in achieving prompt justice, which is the goal we all strive for. This is consistent with the standing and reputation of the pioneering and dignified Kuwaiti judiciary.”

Regarding the coming year, he said: “I ask Almighty God to make it a year of goodness for everyone. I urge you to exert even greater effort so that justice is not compromised, especially in light of the reduction in the Court’s strength of First Judges and Judges due to the transfer of some of them to the Court of Cassation, and the departure of a large number of Egyptian colleagues upon the expiration of their contracts, which has forced us to reduce the number of panels to address this shortage.”