Saudi Arabia Participates in 129th Session of IMO Council Meeting

The Council is the executive body of the IMO and is responsible for overseeing its work
The Council is the executive body of the IMO and is responsible for overseeing its work
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Saudi Arabia Participates in 129th Session of IMO Council Meeting

The Council is the executive body of the IMO and is responsible for overseeing its work
The Council is the executive body of the IMO and is responsible for overseeing its work

Saudi Arabia has participated in the 129th Session of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Council Meeting as one of the 40 council members.

It was represented by Deputy Minister of Transport and Logistics Services and the Acting President of the Transport General Authority, Dr. Rumaih Al-Rumaih. The Kingdom was also represented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Energy, and NEOM Company.

The Council is the executive body of the organization and is responsible for overseeing its work, with a focus on budget approval, report review, and coordination among all entities. Its aim is to contribute to decision-making within the organization concerning budgets, policies, maritime affairs, and strategies.

The meeting witnessed the election of Arsenio Dominguez as the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

Additionally, the meeting discussed the outcomes of the Women in Maritime Biofouling Management workshop held in Jeddah and advanced the Strategic Plan for the period of 2024 to 2029.



Kuwait Jails 13 Citizens, Fines them $87 Mn for Hezbollah Funding

A general view of the Kuwait Palace of Justice in Kuwait City, June 16, 2013. (Reuters)
A general view of the Kuwait Palace of Justice in Kuwait City, June 16, 2013. (Reuters)
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Kuwait Jails 13 Citizens, Fines them $87 Mn for Hezbollah Funding

A general view of the Kuwait Palace of Justice in Kuwait City, June 16, 2013. (Reuters)
A general view of the Kuwait Palace of Justice in Kuwait City, June 16, 2013. (Reuters)

Kuwait’s Court of Cassation on Monday sentenced 13 citizens to three years in prison for raising funds through a charity to support Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

The court also fined them 27 million Kuwaiti dinars ($87 million), overturning a previous acquittal by a lower court.

The court that issued the sentencing was presided over by Judge Abdullah Jassim Al-Abdullah.

Initially, the Criminal Court had acquitted the defendants, citing the absence of legislation explicitly criminalizing unlicensed fundraising for public purposes since the establishment of Kuwait's Social Affairs Department on December 14, 1954.

The court said this legal gap limited its authority under Article 132 of the Code of Criminal Procedures and Trials. However, the decision was reversed by the higher court.

The defendants had been interrogated in November 2021 over alleged financial support to organizations linked to Hezbollah.

At the time, the Public Prosecution ordered their detention, and security authorities conducted extensive investigations into financial transfers suspected of funding such groups in Lebanon.

The case dates back to November 2021. The charges included significant financial transfers made over several years to foreign entities, including in Lebanon, prompting authorities to scrutinize transaction records.

The defendants denied the charges, claiming they had worked with a charity committee for 30 years, primarily sponsoring orphans in Lebanon and other countries.

In March 2024, the Court of Cassation classified Hezbollah as a banned terrorist group, describing it as an armed organization working to undermine Kuwait’s system and spread Iran’s revolutionary ideology.

The ruling officially confirmed Hezbollah’s designation as a terrorist entity under Kuwaiti law.