AL-Issa Meets with Egyptian Media Delegation

The Secretary-General of the Muslim World League (MWL), Mohammad al-Issa with the Egyptian delegation (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Secretary-General of the Muslim World League (MWL), Mohammad al-Issa with the Egyptian delegation (Asharq Al-Awsat)
TT

AL-Issa Meets with Egyptian Media Delegation

The Secretary-General of the Muslim World League (MWL), Mohammad al-Issa with the Egyptian delegation (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Secretary-General of the Muslim World League (MWL), Mohammad al-Issa with the Egyptian delegation (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Secretary-General of the Muslim World League (MWL), Dr. Mohammad al-Issa, addressed the media's vital role in spreading the truth and promoting awareness of objectivity, impartiality, and professionalism, representing the moral value of responsibility.

Issa met with an Egyptian media delegation led by Chairman of the Supreme Council for Media Regulation (SCMR) Karam Gabr.

The Sec-Gen addressed the issue of media freedoms, stressing that it was a significant value as long as it was determined within legitimacy, adding that the Arab and Islamic media played an excellent role in advancing media responsibility.

He lauded the honorable media competition and said every media platform has values that distinguish it in the Arab and Islamic world.

Issa explained that as an international non-governmental organization concerned with the Islamic peoples, the League established several initiatives and programs worldwide based on its goals that focus on clarifying the truth of Islam and confronting ideas of extremism, terrorism, hatred, and racism.

He also noted that the MWL aims to support the Islamic role in collaborating between civilizations, especially building bridges of understanding and cooperation between followers of religions and cultures.

Issa asserted that the League does not deal with politics or interfere in any political matter, except issues that address its goals and core message, noting that its objectives and statements focus specifically on contributing to peace and harmony of the societies.

The Muslim World League will hold an international conference on media responsibility, with the participation of the most prominent Islamic and non-Islamic media figures and institutions worldwide.

The Egyptian delegation lauded the efforts of the League and the initiative to hold the conference on such an important issue.



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)
TT

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.