Criminal Court Acquits Two Electricity Ministry Employees and Three Expatriates on Bribery Charges

The Criminal Court, presided over by Advisor Al-Duwaikh Al-Duwaikh and composed of Judges Badr Al-Shaibah, Ibrahim Kharibat, Faisal Al-Khader, with Mohammed Faraj serving as the court clerk, acquitted two employees (a department head and an inspector) at the Ministry of Electricity and Water, three expatriates, and a Kuwaiti national of charges related to bribery, mediation, and complicity in bribery, on the grounds that the evidence was insufficient and that the court was not convinced of the validity of the accusations against them.

In its ruling, the court noted that “WhatsApp messages regarding a salary, a gift, and the alteration of a report raised suspicions, but the combined evidence did not establish that the benefits were provided in exchange for overlooking the company’s violations. Furthermore, the testimony of the criminal investigation officer regarding the outcomes of his inquiries does not constitute independent evidence separate from those inquiries.”

The court emphasized that “each defendant bears personal responsibility. Merely transferring documents does not prove knowledge of the intended purpose, and merely benefiting from money or receiving an appointment does not establish complicity in bribery.”