Kuwait Cabinet approves legal amendment enabling full electronic rulings in minor cases

The Council of Ministers has given nod to a draft decree-law amending certain provisions of the Criminal Procedures and Trials Law (Law No. 17 of 1960), introducing a major shift toward digital justice.

The amendment focuses on the penal order system, allowing courts to handle simple cases entirely through electronic means—from receiving requests and deliberations to issuing and announcing rulings via the digital platform.

This decision was made during the Cabinet’s weekly meeting held on Tuesday at Bayan Palace, chaired by His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmed Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah. The draft decree-law has been submitted to His Highness the Amir Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah for endorsement.

The amendment aims to advance Kuwait’s transition to a comprehensive e-justice system, ensuring faster adjudication of cases and reducing the workload on courts and litigants. It also introduces new regulations for handling items seized illegally in connection with crimes, including guidelines for their storage duration and destruction when no longer required for investigation or judgment.

A penal order is a judicial ruling issued in minor cases—such as misdemeanors and violations—imposing fines without the need for a public trial or witness hearings. The process is based solely on reviewing case documents, allowing judges to issue swift and simplified decisions. This mechanism eliminates the need to retrieve nearly six million outdated paper case files, many of which have remained unprocessed for years.

Key Features of the New Amendment

Complete Electronic Transformation — Courts can now receive penal order requests, conduct deliberations, issue rulings, and announce them entirely online; the reform marks a milestone toward full electronic issuance of judicial decisions across all stages of the process.

Significant Case Volume — Approximately 250,000 penal orders were issued last year. The shift to electronic handling is expected to dramatically reduce both time and effort for litigants and judicial staff.

Major Benefits

• Advancing Digital Transformation: Establishes a fully integrated e-justice system in Kuwait.
• Speeding Justice: Minimizes paperwork and procedures, ensuring faster case resolution.
• Enhancing Transparency and Efficiency: Full digital documentation reduces errors and delays.
• Aligning with Global Standards: Positions Kuwait among nations adopting modern, technology-driven judicial systems.

The amendment further clarifies procedures for managing confiscated materials linked to criminal cases, including their lawful handling, storage, and disposal when no longer needed for ongoing investigations or trials.

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