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Saudi Crown Prince, British Foreign Secretary Discuss Regional Developments

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets with British Foreign Secretary David Cameron in Riyadh. (SPA)
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets with British Foreign Secretary David Cameron in Riyadh. (SPA)
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Saudi Crown Prince, British Foreign Secretary Discuss Regional Developments

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets with British Foreign Secretary David Cameron in Riyadh. (SPA)
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets with British Foreign Secretary David Cameron in Riyadh. (SPA)

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held talks on Wednesday in Riyadh with British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, focusing on regional developments and efforts to achieve security and stability.

The two sides reviewed aspects of bilateral relations and means to strengthen and develop areas of joint cooperation.

The meeting was attended by the Saudi Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Prince Khalid bin Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan, and Dr. Musaed Al-Aiban, Minister of State and National Security Advisor, in addition to the British minister of Middle Eastern Affairs, Tariq Ahmad, and Neil Crompton, British Ambassador to Saudi Arabia.

Cameron also met in Riyadh with the head of Yemen’s Presidential Council, Rashad al-Alimi, who called on the international community to adopt stricter punitive measures against the Houthis.

He noted that those must include working for the implementation of international resolutions and supporting the legitimate government to restore the institutions, liberate Al-Hodeidah and prevent the flow of Iranian weapons to the rebel group.

Prior to his visit to Riyadh, Cameron held talks in Muscat with Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi. In media statements, he noted that his country and Oman were working together to promote stability in the Middle East and alleviate tension.

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Kuwait Court Concludes Major ‘Malaysian Fund’ Money Laundering Case

Kuwait’s Court of Cassation, in its final ruling, sentenced the defendants to prison terms ranging from 7 to 10 years, ordered them to return $1 billion, and fined them $500 million (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Kuwait’s Court of Cassation, in its final ruling, sentenced the defendants to prison terms ranging from 7 to 10 years, ordered them to return $1 billion, and fined them $500 million (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Kuwait Court Concludes Major ‘Malaysian Fund’ Money Laundering Case

Kuwait’s Court of Cassation, in its final ruling, sentenced the defendants to prison terms ranging from 7 to 10 years, ordered them to return $1 billion, and fined them $500 million (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Kuwait’s Court of Cassation, in its final ruling, sentenced the defendants to prison terms ranging from 7 to 10 years, ordered them to return $1 billion, and fined them $500 million (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Kuwait’s Court of Cassation on Thursday concluded the country's largest money laundering case, known as the “Malaysian Fund” scandal.

The court, led by Judge Saleh Al-Muraishid, sentenced Sheikh Sabah Jaber Al-Mubarak, son of the former Prime Minister, and his associates Hamad Al-Wazzan, Bashar Kiwan, and two expatriates to 10 years in prison.

A lawyer involved in the case received a seven-year sentence.

The court also ordered the defendants to return $1 billion and collectively fined them 145 million Kuwaiti dinars (about $500 million).

The “Malaysian Fund” case involves fake transactions and forged contracts between companies in Kuwait and China. Investigators from Malaysia and the US estimate that around $4.5 billion was embezzled from the fund since 2009, implicating the former Malaysian prime minister.

Kuwait’s Public Prosecution reopened the case after a two-year pause due to lack of information.

On March 28, 2023, the Criminal Court sentenced a member of the ruling family, his associates, and two expatriates to 10 years in prison, with a lawyer receiving seven years.

They were ordered to return $1 billion and fined 145 million Kuwaiti dinars.

The original case in Malaysia dates back to 2016 when US prosecutors filed a lawsuit to recover over $1 billion allegedly tied to a conspiracy to launder money from the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund 1MDB, overseen by former Malaysian premier Najib Razak.

The funds were used to finance a Hollywood film, buy real estate, and acquire famous artworks.

In May 2020, the scandal surfaced in Kuwait after US defense officials provided information to the late Kuwaiti Defense Minister, Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad, revealing the involvement of several former officials in suspicious financial transactions for Chinese and Malaysian companies.

Investigations in Kuwait showed nearly $1 billion had been transferred into the account of an influential Kuwaiti figure before being rerouted abroad.

The inquiry linked a Malaysian financial expert accused in the case to the son of a former Kuwaiti Prime Minister, and they collaborated to channel the funds through intermediary companies.

On July 10, 2020, Kuwait’s Public Prosecution ordered the arrest of Sheikh Sabah Jaber Al-Mubarak and his associate in connection with the “Malaysian Fund” case.