KUWAIT CITY, Sept 23: The Court of Appeals fined media figure Aisha Al-Rasheed KD 30,000 for inciting sectarian strife and insulting Shiite citizens. In January, the Criminal Court fined Al- Rasheed KD 50,000, while the Public Prosecution released her on bail of KD 500. She was charged with violating the National Unity Law and insulting a segment of society (the Shiite sect) through her YouTube channel. Meanwhile, the Commercial Circuit of the Court of First Instance ordered a property owner to pay a citizen KD 35,000 and seven percent annual interest from the due date until full payment because the property owner had refused to hand over the apartment he sold to her in 2012. Lawyer Nasser Al-Farhoud explained that his client paid for the apartment with a cheque received by the defendant.

The defendant’s refusal to hand over the apartment constituted a breach of contract, prompting his client to file a lawsuit. Also, the Court of Cassation has issued a ruling to reject an appeal and uphold the rulings of both the Court of First Instance and the Court of Appeals, which dismissed a lawsuit seeking the removal of a director from a prominent company. In its reasoning, the court explained that a director may only be removed if it is proven that they committed fraud, gross negligence, intentionally harmed the company’s interests, gained personal benefit at the company’s expense, or engaged in activities that conflict with the company’s objectives. The appellants, the court noted, failed to substantiate any such claims in the case at hand. The mere lack of profits or the underperformance of certain activities does not justify dismissing a director, unless there is clear evidence of misconduct, breach of duty, or mismanagement.

The appellants, despite holding a relative majority of 51 percent, failed to follow the proper legal procedure of convening an extraordinary general assembly as required by the Companies Law and the company’s Articles of Association. This procedural lapse rendered their claim legally unfounded. The court reiterated that a director may only be dismissed if there is clear evidence of fraud, gross negligence, intentional harm to the company’s interests, personal gain at the company’s expense, or involvement in activities that conflict with the company’s objectives, none of which the appellants were able to substantiate in this case. Commenting on the ruling, Lawyer Dr. Fawaz Al-Khatib, who represented the director, explained that the decision reinforces the principle of stability in companies, and affirms that the removal of a director is not an arbitrary right held by partners, even if they form a majority. Such removal is subject to strict legal controls aimed at protecting the business entity and ensuring its sustainability within the investment environment. The ruling underscores the importance of following proper legal procedures as outlined in the Companies Law.

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

A gang was arrested for forging residency change requests in Kuwait.

KUWAIT CITY, Sept 23: The General Department of Criminal Investigation’s Anti-Money Laundering Crimes Department has dismantled a network involved in illegally processing residency address change transactions for money, the ministry announced Tuesday.

Investigations confirmed that a network member exploited his position to process residency change requests in exchange for fees. Working in coordination with other accomplices, the group accepted up to 120 Kuwaiti dinars per transaction from clients. These requests were filled out with false information and forged signatures, without the applicants’ knowledge or consent, before being entered into official systems.

Further probes revealed that bribes were collected through indirect means to avoid detection, including the use of bank payment links linked to third parties and the non-payment for food items as part of the illicit gains.

Following legal authorization and the arrest of involved suspects, authorities seized multiple pre-packaged transactions ready for delivery, along with approximately 5,000 dinars believed to be proceeds from the illegal activity.

The ministry reaffirmed its commitment to combating corruption and financial crimes to uphold the integrity of residency and administrative procedures.

KUWAIT CITY, Sept 22: The Criminal Court on Monday sentenced a citizen to 14 years in prison for murdering an Asian domestic worker. Case files indicate that the citizen beat the domestic worker to death and then buried her in the garden of his home in Saad Al-Abdullah. The court affirmed the citizen’s responsibility for his actions after referring the case to a psychiatric hospital to assess his mental state. The court also sentenced the father of the citizen, brother and expatriate wife to one year in prison with hard labor for covering up the crime and failing to report it. Earlier, the Public Prosecution charged the killer’s brother and expatriate wife with covering up the crime and ordered the detention of the killer and several other individuals, including an Asian worker, on charges of violating the sanctity of the deceased and failing to report the incident. Meanwhile, the Criminal Court postponed until October 13 the trial of the man accused of killing his wife in the desert on the first day of Eid Al-Fitr, and a new lawyer was appointed for the accused. The court made this decision after the defense team of the defendants withdrew from the case and left the courtroom following the pleadings of the Public Prosecution. In her opening statement, Public Prosecutor Hessa Al-Hamoud emphasized the sanctity of the marriage contract. She pointed out that “the marriage contract is a solemn covenant established by Allah from the seven heavens. It is a sacred bond in which Allah commanded good treatment. However, the accused disregarded this covenant when he committed a heinous crime, taking the life of his wife on a day of joy and happiness.

He turned the marital home into a battlefield. He planned and resolved to kill his wife on the blessed day of Eid Al- Fitr. He chose a dark, remote location in the desert, ensuring that no one could see him. There, he initially her, expressing love and desire permitted by Allah, before brutally beating her until her body bled. “When the victim realized the violence would not end, she attempted to escape, opening the vehicle door and running while screaming for safety. The accused, however, drove at breakneck speed, deliberately running over her multiple times, shattering her bones and dismembering her organs. It was as if his heart was devoid of mercy. He had forgotten that she was his wife and the mother of his four children.” Al-Hamoud revealed, “We have conclusive evidence that the crime was premeditated and deliberate, and that the accused remained calm and composed before, during, and after the act.” She supported her plea with the following:

– The first witness (the victim’s brother) stated that on the night of the incident, the defendant’s brother called him, saying the defendant had sent his location and asked him to follow. Repeated calls to the defendant elicited a cold reply: “I killed Kholoud,” followed by laughter, claiming he had returned her to her family’s home.

– The second witness (the victim’s brother) corroborated the first witness regarding the calls and the luring of the victim to the crime scene.

– The third witness (the victim’s sister) stated that her sister went with the victim believing there was a surprise awaiting her, unaware it was a premeditated attack.

– The confession of the accused: “I deliberately collided with her.” He admitted during investigations that he had been driving throughout Kuwait since morning, deceived his wife into accompanying him, and deliberately chose a remote, dark location where no one would see him. He said, “I was thinking where to go, in a place where there was no one… I followed her and deliberately collided with her.”

– His criminal record: The prosecutor emphasized, “We are dealing with a dangerous individual, capable of planning before and during the execution of crimes. His criminal record, which includes multiple felonies and misdemeanors supported by final judgments, culminated in the cold-blooded murder of his wife, shattering his family and depriving his children of their mother.” Al-Hamoud urged the court to impose the harshest penalty prescribed by law, as retribution for the crime that took an innocent life and violated the most sacred covenant.

She concluded with the verse: “Read your record. Sufficient is yourself against you this Day as a reckoner.” [Al-Isra: 14] Meanwhile, Attorney Abdul Mohsen Al-Qattan, representing the victim’s heirs, addressed the defendant’s claim of intoxication. He refuted it using the following scientific and technical evidence:

– First, the Criminal Evidence Report – Alcohol and Liquor Section No. 1033K/2025 proved no trace of ethyl or methyl alcohol in the defendant’s urine sample.

– Second, the Criminal Evidence Report – Toxicology Section No. 1167S/2025 confirmed the presence of a benzodiazepine derivative in the urine sample. This does not absolve him, as he denied consuming any psychotropic substance. The law holds anyone who intentionally consumes intoxicants liable for crimes committed under their influence.

– Third, Article 23 of the Penal Code stipulates that liability from intoxicants arises only if they are ingested involuntarily, causing loss of ability to sense and choose, which was not the case here.

– Fourth, proving intent to kill subjective and it is deduced from the perpetrator’s behavior before and during the commission of crime.

It has been proven that the defendant lured the victim to a secluded location, severely beat her, and deliberately ran over her, demonstrating premeditation. He stressed that medical reports and expert evidence confirmed that the defendant was not mentally ill at the time of the crime, and any intoxicants did not impair his will or criminal responsibility.

He said this principle was affirmed in Appeal No. 235/2006 and Appeal No. 28052/2007, in which the Court of Cassation ruled that such claims do not negate liability if there was no genuine loss of consciousness or choice. He also confirmed the presence of elements of kidnapping, punishable by death under Article 180 of the Penal Code, as well as premeditated murder and intentional acts under Article 149 of the Penal Code. They demanded the maximum penalty be imposed on the accused to protect public and private rights.

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