Kuwait’s Criminal Court postponed on Sunday the trial of former Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mohammad Al-Mutair, to Dec. 15 and lifted his travel ban after hearing his defense.
Al-Mutair faces charges of “insulting the Emir’s authority and questioning the integrity of the Constitutional Court judges”. The court also referred the case of former MP Bader Al-Dahoum, who faces similar charges, to be reviewed alongside Al-Mutair’s due to their connection.
Al-Mutair’s case had previously been delayed on Aug. 11, when the court rejected his request to lift the travel ban and postponed the trial to Oct. 13 for further hearings on his alleged defamation of the Emir and judiciary during a public seminar. Al-Mutair was initially released on bail of 5,000 Kuwaiti dinars ($16,300) with a travel ban.
In a separate case, the Court of Appeals suspended the six-month prison sentence of former MP Abdullah Fahad, allowing his release on bail of 3,000 Kuwaiti dinars ($9,810). Fahad had been sentenced by the Criminal Court for defaming the judiciary during a televised interview, and both the show’s producer and director were fined 500 Kuwaiti dinars ($1,635) each. Fahad returned to Kuwait on Sept. 22 and surrendered to authorities, seeking acquittal from the charges and the annulment of his prison sentence.
In another prominent case, former MP Mohammad Al-Juwaihel remains in custody after the Court of Cassation rejected his request to suspend his two-year and four-month prison sentence for insulting the Ajman tribe. The final ruling is expected on Oct. 20. Initially, in April, Al-Juwaihel had been sentenced to three years in prison with labor and fined 10,000 Kuwaiti dinars ($32,600) for his defamatory remarks. In July, the Court of Appeals reduced his sentence to two years and four months with labor.
