KUWAIT CITY, May 8: The Court of Appeal has upheld a ruling by the Criminal Court acquitting an employee at the Kuwait International Airport Passports Department, who had been accused of falsifying passenger entry and exit records in the Ministry of Interior’s automated system. The accusations stemmed from the escape of a wanted fugitive who allegedly used a passport resembling that of the employee.

The ruling, however, did include sentencing the fugitive (in absentia) and his lookalike to four years in prison with hard labor. The court also ordered their deportation after they completed their sentences.

The case dates back to July 2024 when a detective arrested a fugitive with a history of fraud charges. The fugitive, however, was nowhere to be found. Upon questioning the fugitive’s mother, it was revealed that he had left the country using a passport that closely resembled his lookalike’s.

During investigations, the lookalike admitted to lending his passport to the fugitive, who had a striking resemblance to him. The fugitive requested the passport in late 2023, and the lookalike handed it over, only to retrieve it a week after the fugitive’s departure. The lookalike also confirmed that he was aware of the fugitive’s criminal background, including his fraud charges.

The employee, however, denied any wrongdoing. He testified that he had properly documented the passport’s movement when the fugitive appeared before him, confirming the individual’s information before his departure. He claimed that he was unaware of any discrepancy and did not realize the passport was not the rightful owner’s due to the striking similarity between the two individuals.

In court, the employee’s defense attorney, Abdullah Al-Bulaihis, argued that there was no criminal intent behind his client’s actions, as the essential elements of the forgery crime were absent. He maintained that the employee had no prior knowledge of the fugitive and that there was no conclusive evidence linking him to any intentional alteration of the entry and exit records. Al-Bulaihis also presented a document proving that biometric fingerprint checks were not in place at Kuwait Airport during the incident and highlighted the similarities between the lookalike and the fugitive. He called for his client’s acquittal, which the court ultimately granted.

KUWAIT CITY, May 8 — The Airport Security Department has referred a Kuwaiti citizen to the General Department for Drug Control after he was deported from Thailand on charges related to drug possession, according to security sources.

The Kuwaiti man, born in 1964, was reportedly arrested by Thai authorities in Bangkok for possession of narcotics intended for personal use. Following his arrest, Thai officials deported him aboard a Kuwait Airways flight and informed Kuwaiti airport authorities of the case.

Upon his arrival in Kuwait, the individual was handed over to the relevant drug control unit for further investigation. Sources added that his passport has been confiscated and a full report on the incident will be prepared. It is expected that, pending the outcome of the investigation, a ministerial decision could result in the passport being withheld for up to three years.

KUWAIT CITY, May 8: A forensic report has concluded that the deaths of two expatriates found on the rooftop of a building in the Khaitan area were most likely caused by alcohol poisoning, a security source revealed. The report indicated there were no signs of physical assault or foul play on the bodies.

The Ministry of Interior’s operations room received an alert about the discovery of the two bodies, who were later identified as Asian nationals. The remains were transferred to the forensic medicine department for examination, where authorities determined that the individuals had likely consumed locally produced, illicit alcohol.

Investigators are now working to trace the source of the toxic substances and identify those responsible for supplying the tainted liquor. In a separate incident, the same source noted that a body found in the Subiya desert area is being treated as a suspected homicide, with criminal circumstances likely involved.

Experts warn that alcohol poisoning, particularly from unregulated or improperly prepared alcoholic beverages, can severely impair vital functions such as breathing, heart rate, and body temperature, sometimes resulting in coma or death.