Deterrent Sentence for Those Who Consume Orphans' Wealth

In a deterrent ruling for anyone daring to misappropriate the funds of the State and orphans, the Court of Appeal, presided over by Senior Counsel Abdullah Al-Sanea and with Senior Counsel Saud Al-Mutairi and Bassam Al-Ghuwainim as members, overturned the acquittal of three Kuwaiti citizens and again sentenced them to ten years in prison, fined each of them 9 million Kuwaiti dinars, ordered them collectively to repay 4.5 million dinars, and dismissed the first and second defendants from their positions. The Public Prosecution had charged the first and second defendants, in their capacity as public officials—the first being chairman of the board of directors of a company in which the Public Authority for Children’s Affairs holds a direct stake of no less than 25% of its capital, and the second being a board member of the same company—with intentionally entering into a contract with an external company in 2017 in a manner that harmed the interests of their employing authority, which they were tasked with safeguarding. It also charged the third defendant with conspiring with the first and second defendants to commit the crime. The prosecution confirmed that the defendants obtained personal benefit by contracting with a holding company in London to purchase a plot of land in the United Kingdom for 4,537,749 Kuwaiti dinars, which they paid using the funds of their employing company.