Court of Appeal Upholds 7-Year and 6-Month Imprisonment for Nigerian Gang

Judicial Editor – The Second Chamber of the Court of Appeal, presided over by Counselor Nasr Salem Al-Haid and composed of Counselors Mutaab Al-Araddi and Saud Al-Sanaa, upheld the verdict issued against members of a Nigerian gang involved in the robbery and theft of a currency exchange shop in the Mahboula area. The judgment sentenced the first four defendants to seven years in prison, and the fifth defendant to six months.

The Public Prosecution had charged the first four defendants with stealing money from the exchange shop, with the second defendant using a fake pistol, and the third and fourth defendants taking possession of the funds with the assistance of the first defendant. The fifth defendant was accused of conspiring with them and agreeing to commit the crime, as well as assisting in concealing the stolen goods and providing them with funds obtained from the robbery and theft crimes.

The Court of First Instance had issued its verdict in absentia against the first and fifth defendants, and in absentia against the remaining defendants, sentencing the first four to seven years in prison and the fifth to six months, after modifying the legal description and classification of the charges. The Court of Appeal subsequently upheld the appealed judgment.

The case facts trace back to the detection by the Al-Ahmadi Governorate Criminal Investigation Department of the gang’s structure within 24 hours of executing a robbery at a currency exchange office in the Mahboula area, during which they stole foreign currency valued at approximately 4,600 Kuwaiti dinars.

The Ministry of Interior stated in a previous statement that the gang members had meticulously planned the crime by monitoring currency exchange offices from the rooftops of adjacent buildings to determine peak hours. They also used license plates stolen from other vehicles to conceal the identity of the vehicles used during the operation.