State Security Crimes: Nine Egyptians Sentenced to 10 Years in Money Laundering Case

The judicial editor: The State Security and Terrorism Crimes Court, presided over by Advisor Nasser Al-Badr and with the participation of Advisors Omar Al-Mulifi, Abdullah Al-Fahad, and Salem Al-Zaid, issued several rulings in cases involving money laundering and state security crimes. The judgments included prison sentences, substantial financial fines, deportation of convicts, and the closure of commercial entities.

In the first case, the court tried 12 Egyptian nationals and six companies operating in various activities, including food delivery, general trade, and retail, accused of committing money laundering amounting to 22 million and 294,000 Kuwaiti dinars. The alleged method involved using alternative remittance systems, collecting cash from members of the Egyptian community in Kuwait, and depositing these funds into various company accounts by forging bank deposit records and invoices for international transfers.

The court acquitted the sixth and eleventh defendants. The first through fifth defendants, and the seventh through tenth defendants, were sentenced to 10 years in prison each and fined 44 million and 588,000 Kuwaiti dinars, an amount equivalent to double the value of the laundered funds. The court also ordered the implicated companies to pay a fine of 22 million and 294,000 Kuwaiti dinars. The twelfth defendant was sentenced to five years in prison and fined 6,000 Kuwaiti dinars. The rulings also prohibited the convicts from engaging in any commercial activity, permanently closed their offices, and ordered the deportation of all non-Kuwaiti convicts from the country after serving their sentences.

In another case, the court sentenced a foreign national to five years in prison after convicting him of belonging to the “Daesh” (ISIS) organization. The court declined to impose a sentence on a Kuwaiti citizen and another citizen regarding certain charges, but fined each of them 500 Kuwaiti dinars for other accusations, and acquitted them of the charge of broadcasting false news.

In a third case, the court sentenced a Kuwaiti citizen to five years in prison after convicting him of insulting the Amir and violating the National Unity Law. The court also decided not to impose a sentence on other citizens, releasing them on bail of 500 Kuwaiti dinars each, while confiscating a “drone” aircraft seized in connection with the case.