Court jails 9 Egyptians for 10 yrs in 22.3m dinars money laundering case
Kuwait’s State Security and Terrorism Crimes Court has handed down stiff prison terms, record fines and deportation orders in one of the country’s largest money laundering prosecutions, sentencing nine Egyptian nationals to 10 years in prison each over an illegal financial network involving more than 22.294 million dinars.
The court, chaired by Counselor Nasser Al-Badr, found that the convicted individuals were part of a scheme that allegedly used an informal money transfer system to move funds outside Kuwait while concealing their origin through forged banking documents.
According to court proceedings, the case involved 12 Egyptians and six companies operating in sectors including delivery services, general trading and retail. Prosecutors said the network collected cash from members of the Egyptian community before channeling the funds through company accounts using falsified bank deposit slips and foreign transfer invoices.
The court acquitted two defendants but convicted the remaining principal accused. Defendants one through five and seven through ten each received 10-year prison sentences and were jointly fined 44.588 million dinars, equivalent to twice the value of the laundered funds, in accordance with Kuwait’s anti-money laundering legislation.
The six companies implicated in the case were collectively fined 22.294 million dinars, while a twelfth defendant received a five-year prison sentence and a fine of 6,000 dinars.
In addition to imprisonment and financial penalties, the court permanently barred the convicted individuals from engaging in commercial activities, ordered the closure of their business offices and ruled that all non-Kuwaiti convicts be deported after completing their prison terms.
In a separate ruling issued during the same session, the court sentenced an expatriate to five years in prison after convicting him of belonging to the terrorist group (ISIS), reports Al-Qabas.
The court also ruled in another state security case involving two Kuwaiti citizens, refraining from imposing prison sentences on certain charges while fining each 500 dinars on other counts. Both defendants were acquitted of allegations related to spreading false news.
In a third case, a Kuwaiti citizen was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment after being convicted of insulting the Amir and violating the National Unity Law. The court suspended punishment for two additional citizens upon payment of 500-dinar bail each and ordered the confiscation of a drone seized during the investigation.
The rulings underscore Kuwait’s continued enforcement of anti-money laundering regulations and state security laws through severe criminal penalties, substantial financial sanctions and administrative measures aimed at preventing the misuse of commercial entities and safeguarding national security.
