Court of Appeal in Commercial Tenders Case: 10 Years in Prison for 17 Defendants

The Court of Appeal, presided over by Advisor Abdullah Al-Sanea and with Advisors Saud Al-Mutairi and Bassam Al-Ghuwainem as members, ruled in the bribery, forgery, manipulation of commercial draws, and money laundering case linked to the manipulation of the results of 110 draw records involving 96 vehicles and cash and in-kind prizes. The court ordered an increase in the sentence of a Ministry of Commerce employee, head of the Free Offers Department, to 15 years’ imprisonment with hard labor and confiscation of assets, and a fine of 3 million dinars, up from 10 years, after deeming him the mastermind of the criminal scheme. It also sentenced 17 defendants, including the Egyptian defendant and her husband, to 10 years’ imprisonment with hard labor and confiscation of assets, and a fine of 3 million dinars each; sentenced four defendants to four years’ imprisonment; refrained from pronouncing a sentence against 38 defendants; and acquitted 13 defendants.

In its reasoning, the court stated that the first defendant did not commit an isolated offense, but rather led an organized criminal activity involving bribery, forgery of official documents, manipulation of the Ministry of Commerce’s electronic system, and money laundering, exploiting his official position to undermine the integrity of the draws and enable others to win prizes unlawfully. It added that the defendant received bribes totaling 282,000 dinars, oversaw the approval of 110 draw records containing data contrary to the truth, and entered incorrect information into the electronic system to ensure that specific names were pre-selected as winners, thereby damaging public trust, the reputation of the Ministry of Commerce, and the prestige of state institutions.

The court emphasized that the increased sentence was justified given the pivotal role of the first defendant as the mastermind and source of illicit proceeds, and that the previous sentence was disproportionate to the gravity of the crimes committed and their consequences, necessitating a harsher penalty to achieve general and specific deterrence and to safeguard the integrity of public service.