Kuwait Former Defense Minister Receives Jail Sentence over Mishandling of Military Funds

Lightning strikes over Kuwait City during a thunder storm on November 19, 2023. (AFP)
Lightning strikes over Kuwait City during a thunder storm on November 19, 2023. (AFP)
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Kuwait Former Defense Minister Receives Jail Sentence over Mishandling of Military Funds

Lightning strikes over Kuwait City during a thunder storm on November 19, 2023. (AFP)
Lightning strikes over Kuwait City during a thunder storm on November 19, 2023. (AFP)

Kuwait's highest court on Sunday sentenced former defense and interior minister Sheikh Khalid al-Jarrah al-Sabah to seven years in prison for mishandling military funds.

Former Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber al-Mubarak al-Sabah, who faced similar charges, was ordered by the court to return the funds he mismanaged.

Both men had denied the charges.

Sheikh Jaber had in 2019 resigned as prime minister, a post he had held since 2011, after lawmakers sought a no-confidence vote against Sheikh Khalid, who was interior minister at the time.

The then defense minister Sheikh Nasser Sabah al-Ahmed had issued a statement two days after the government resignation, saying the cabinet stood down to avoid addressing mismanagement of some 240 million dinars ($778.61 million)in military funds before he assumed office.

Sheikh Jaber and Sheikh Khalid were acquitted of embezzlement charges in March 2022 but the case was revived upon an appeal from the Kuwaiti prosecution.



Saudi Chief of Staff Chairs Saudi-Turkish Military Committee Meeting

A view of the Saudi capital Riyadh. (SPA)
A view of the Saudi capital Riyadh. (SPA)
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Saudi Chief of Staff Chairs Saudi-Turkish Military Committee Meeting

A view of the Saudi capital Riyadh. (SPA)
A view of the Saudi capital Riyadh. (SPA)

The Saudi-Turkish Joint Military Committee held its sixth meeting in the Turkish capital, Ankara, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Saturday.

The meeting was chaired by Saudi Chief of General Staff Lieutenant-General Fayyad bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili and Turkish Chief of General Staff General Metin Gürak.

The officials discussed ways to boost cooperation and coordination between their countries in the defense and military sectors, as well as several other issues of common concern.

The meeting was attended by several high-ranking officers from the Saudi and Turkish armed forces.

Al-Ruwaili also held a meeting with Turkish Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler for talks on bilateral relations and areas of defense cooperation.