71 Accused Transferred to the Criminal Court in the “Land Holdings Corruption” Case: Public Office Is a Trust, Not a Spoil; Public Funds Are Sacred, Not a Target

- The Public Prosecution: The defendants’ roles were connected to the facts, allowing them to benefit from the manipulation and reap profits from it.

- Authority was diverted from its intended purpose, and jurisdiction was exploited for purposes other than its proper function.

- Procedures legislated to protect rights were transformed into a means to undermine them.

- The commission of bribery, illicit enrichment, and intentional damage to public funds has been established.

- Forgery of official documents, their use, and participation in such acts through agreement and assistance.

- Money laundering and manipulation of procedures and documents related to agricultural holdings and plots.

- The value of the funds and benefits involved in the corruption cases underscores the gravity of the abuse of public office.

- Evidence was reinforced by specialized reports issued by “Nizahat” (the National Authority for Combating Corruption) and the “Financial Investigations” department.

- The reports included an accurate tracking of the movement and destination of funds and their connection to public office.

- Whoever uses their position as a ladder to personal gain makes the law a means to hold them accountable.

- The Prosecution does not monitor corruption to expose it publicly, nor does it pursue violators to take revenge; rather, it exercises its jurisdiction to safeguard rights, protect assets, and deter abuse.

- Whoever is entrusted with authority and betrays that trust, or whoever is assigned jurisdiction and abuses it, places themselves in a position where the law stands ready to hold them accountable.

The Public Prosecution has referred 71 defendants to the Criminal Court, including public officials, some of whom hold leadership and supervisory positions, in a case involving manipulation of procedures and documents related to agricultural holdings and plots under the General Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fisheries. The value of the funds and benefits involved in the corruption cases amounts to approximately 8.66 million dinars.

In a statement on Monday, the Public Prosecution said that, in the context of fulfilling its mission to safeguard public funds, protect state interests, and uphold the rule of law, it initiated investigations into Case No. (153) of 2026, which was consolidated with Money Laundering Case No. (16) of 2026, filed with the Criminal Investigations Department. This followed information received and intelligence efforts that uncovered corruption cases linked to the manipulation of procedures and documents concerning agricultural holdings and plots under the General Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fisheries, and the resulting benefits and usufruct rights.

The statement added that the incidents “spanned a period of time and involved 71 defendants, including public officials, some of whom held leadership and supervisory roles, as well as other employees from various public entities, in addition to 28 legal entities from private commercial establishments, and others whose roles were connected to the incidents, allowing them to benefit from the manipulation and reap profits from it. Authority was diverted from its intended purpose, jurisdiction was exploited for improper ends, and procedures legislated to protect rights were transformed into a means to undermine them.”

The Public Prosecution emphasized that it “conducted its investigations until it established that the defendants, each according to their role, committed corruption crimes, including bribery, intentional damage to public funds through breach of official duties, forgery of official documents, their use, and participation in such acts through agreement and assistance, money laundering, illicit enrichment, and other related crimes, all through manipulation of procedures and documents related to agricultural holdings and plots.”

It revealed that “the value of the funds and benefits arising from the corruption cases, stemming from the trading of usufruct rights to state-owned real estate, totaled 8,662,296 Kuwaiti dinars – eight million, six hundred and sixty-two thousand, two hundred and ninety-six dinars – which underscores the gravity of the abuse of public office, the purpose for which these rights were designated, and the integrity of their exploitation and preservation in support of the public interest objectives for which they were established.”

The Public Prosecution noted that the evidence in the case was reinforced by specialized technical reports issued by the Public Authority for Combating Corruption (Nazaha) and the Kuwait Financial Intelligence Unit, which included a precise tracking of fund movements and their destinations, linking them to public office, illicit enrichment, and the benefits derived from the aforementioned corruption crimes.

The Public Prosecution affirmed that “public office is a trust, not a prize; jurisdiction is a duty, not an honor; authority is a responsibility, not a means; and public funds are sacred, not an object of greed.” It stressed that “whoever uses their position as a ladder to personal gain will find the law serving as the path to their accountability, and whoever distorts their authority from its intended purpose will see their own arguments and evidence turned against them.”

The statement concluded: “As the Public Prosecution fulfills the trust of its mission, it does not monitor corruption to expose it, nor pursue transgressors to take revenge. Rather, it exercises its jurisdiction to safeguard rights, protect assets, deter recklessness, and affirm that whoever betrays the trust placed in their authority, or misuses the powers entrusted to them, places themselves in a position where the law lies in wait for them.”