Latest figures from the Ministry of Justice show that the Public Prosecution received a total of 17,000 cases in the first half of this year. The data also showed that the total number of cases dropped by 10 percent relative to the same period in 2022.
Although the total number of cases decreased in the first half of the year, there was a significant increase in the number of cases of environmental violations, and in domestic violence cases. Environmental violations topped the list of cases before the Public Prosecution, registering 4030 cases.
Domestic violence cases ranked second with 2200 instances, followed by juvenile misdemeanors with 815 cases. Justice ministry officials explained that the surge in environmental misdemeanor cases can be attributed to heightened enforcement measures and stricter adherence to the law.
Law enforcement and environmental agencies have in recent months been taking swift action to combat violations, which has resulted in greater detection and deterrence of such violations. Tightening legal penalties for environmental violations, which can include up to 3 years of imprisonment and fines up to KD50,000, have begun to curb environmental crimes.
Domestic violence cases have also experienced a slight increase, totaling 1,216 cases in the first half of 2023 compared to 2,200 for the entire 2022.
The courts have been hearing domestic violence cases on a daily basis, with an increasing number of complaints being filed by abused women.
Some of these cases arise from retaliatory or malicious intent, while others result from actual assaults. Nevertheless, many of these cases end in acquittals or minor fines. Consequently, some parties are turning to out-of-court settlements in an effort to mend family relationships and contribute to their stability.
Other data made available by the Ministry of justice show that there were 60 instances of money laundering in the first half of 2023, averaging about 10 cases each month.
Analyzing the occurrence of money laundering crimes over the past five years, it’s evident that 2021 witnessed the highest number of these crimes, with the Public Prosecution investigating 167 cases. This number decreased to 64 cases in 2022, possibly indicating a global effort to combat such crimes. In 2023, the number of money laundering cases dropped further to 60.
The data also highlights that males constitute 90 percent of those accused of crimes investigated by the Public Prosecution, while females make up the remaining 10 percent. The total number of defendants was approximately 18,000, with the majority of those committing these crimes falling within the age range of 30 to 40 years old.
