A Kuwaiti court on Tuesday acquitted two former ministers and their co-defendants of the corruption charges they faced in the “army fund case.”
Kuwait’s ministerial court ruled that the prosecution had failed to prove its case against the officials, clearing them of all charges.
The charges against Kuwait's former Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber al-Mubarak al-Sabah and his ally, former Interior Minister Sheikh Khalid al-Jarrah al-Sabah, along with other officials, concerned the embezzlement of $790 million that had gone missing from a military aid fund years ago.
On April 13, 2021, the court ordered the pre-trial detention of the former prime minister and ruling family member Sheikh Jaber al-Mubarak al-Sabah in the case.
The court also sent lower-ranking officials to jail pending trial and imposed a travel ban on Sheikh Jaber.
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 ($790 million) in military funds before he assumed office.
Separately, National Assembly Speaker Marzouq al-Ghanim said Tuesday that 10 Kuwaiti MPs filed a no-confidence motion against Minister of Public Works and State Minister for Youth Affairs Ali al-Mousa.
This came after the parliament discussed in its regular session a motion filed by MP Abdullah al-Mudhaf against Mousa.
The 10 MPs are Muhannad al-Sayer, Marzouq al-Khalifa, Saleh al-Mutairi, Khaled al-Munais, Badr al-Mulla, Muhalhal al-Mudhaf, Hassan Jawhar, Faris al-Otaibi, Shuaib al-Muwaizri, and Al-Saifi al-Saifi.
Mudhaf said several companies that are unrelated to food security obtained agricultural lands unrightfully.
He presented documents showing unjustly procured agricultural lands, as well as a court order of withdrawing such unlawfully obtained lands.
He also pointed to the outcomes of a fact-finding committee, formed in April 2021, including recommendations of grilling various Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fisheries officials for refusing to cooperate with the committee, citing confidentiality.
