KUWAIT CITY, July 3: A long-running legal battle stemming from a violent incident at the Salmi border has concluded, with three officers paying KD45,000 in compensation to a citizen they assaulted in front of his family. The case, which was first reported by the daily in October 2020, involved a physical altercation between the citizen and the officers at the border checkpoint. The Court of Appeals had earlier issued a final criminal ruling, fining the defendants. Attorney Dr. Obaid Al-Enezi, who represented the victim, secured a separate civil ruling from the Court of Appeals granting temporary compensation of KD5,001. The full settlement amount was paid before the filing of a final civil compensation suit.

By Jaber Al-Hamoud
Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff and Agencies

KUWAIT CITY, July 3: Kuwait’s firefighting teams responded to two separate fire incidents on Thursday evening, swiftly containing both blazes and preventing further damage.

In the Al-Rehab area, fire crews from the Subhan Fire Department successfully extinguished a fire that broke out in three vehicles parked at a school. The teams acted promptly to control the flames, and no significant injuries were reported.

Meanwhile, in a separate incident in the Farwaniya area, firefighting teams from both Farwaniya and Subhan centers responded to a blaze in a residential apartment building. The fire was brought under control after an intense effort, but five individuals sustained injuries. The affected site was handed over to the relevant authorities for further investigation.

Authorities are continuing to determine the causes of both fires.

Brokers and Individuals who paid bribes to alter residential address

KUWAIT CITY, June 3: In a major anti-corruption crackdown, the Ministry of Interior has arrested an employee of the Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI) on charges of forging official documents and accepting bribes. The arrest was carried out by the Criminal Security Sector, represented by the General Department of Criminal Investigation’s Anti-Financial Crimes Department, as part of ongoing efforts to root out corruption and fraud within public institutions.

According to informed security sources, the case began following intelligence reports and close coordination between the Ministry and officials at PACI. The investigation revealed that the employee had exploited his official access to PACI’s internal electronic system to unlawfully alter and transfer the residential addresses of individuals without their physical presence or the submission of legally required documentation—actions in clear violation of existing protocols and regulations.

Authorities said the accused was accepting payments of 120 Kuwaiti dinars for each illegal address change. In total, he is suspected of facilitating over 5,000 such fraudulent transactions since the beginning of the current year. These were reportedly carried out in coordination with a network of brokers operating both within and outside Kuwait.

As part of the investigation, two brokers were taken into custody along with seven individuals who admitted to paying bribes to expedite their transactions. It was further discovered that the accused had used the illicit profits to purchase luxury goods, including gold bars, jewelry, and other high-value items, in an attempt to launder the funds and obscure their illegal origins.

The suspect, along with the seized evidence, has been referred to the Public Prosecution Office for further legal action. Officials stressed that the Ministry of Interior remains committed to pursuing and prosecuting all forms of financial and administrative corruption to preserve the integrity of state institutions and uphold the rule of law.