19 defendants get jail terms, hefty fines in high-profile money laundering case

The Criminal Court, presided over by Counselor Al-Dhuwaihi Al-Dhuwaihi, has handed down sentences to 19 individuals involved in a major money laundering case.

The court imposed varying prison terms, with one defendant receiving a 10-year sentence and a hefty fine of 510 million dinars. Several others were acquitted of the money laundering charges.
The case, considered the largest money laundering scandal of 2024, involved a total of 255 million dinars, reports Al-Rai daily.

The defendants, ranging from the first to the twenty-second, as well as the twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth, were charged with forming an organized criminal group to launder money.

The illicit funds were derived from a series of crimes, including undermining national interests, forgery of bank and official documents, fraud, smuggling goods past customs, and violating laws prohibiting the entry of goods into the country.

The Public Prosecution outlined the extensive nature of the crime and the criminal group’s role in executing these illegal activities, but the defendants denied the charges.

Despite their denials, the court proceeded with the sentencing, underscoring the severity of the crimes involved.

This ruling reflects Kuwait’s commitment to tackling organized crime and money laundering, ensuring accountability for those engaged in such illicit activities.