KUWAIT CITY, Nov 6: The Criminal Court, presided over by Councilor Bassam Al-Ghuwainem, is currently holding the trial of a former minister after receiving his file, which includes allegations of embezzling more than 4 million dinars from a government-owned company. The “Complaints Section” of the Criminal Court canceled the decision of the Prosecutor’s Office to close this file. A businessman is also involved, accused of damaging public funds and confiscating more than 4 million dinars from a holding company in which the state owns more than 25 percent, and the court decided to bring the case to court.

According to court records, the first defendant, who served as vice chairman of the company’s Board of Directors, was a public official assigned to protect the company’s interests. He was assigned the task of signing an employment contract with the second defendant (the current minister) as the general manager of the company. However, in collaboration with the second defendant, he allegedly signed the contract in a manner prejudicial to the interests of the company, allowing the latter to obtain personal profit and benefits. The employment contract, signed on March 1, 2014, included additional financial and employment benefits beyond those previously approved by the Board of Directors, as explicitly stated in an addendum to the contract.

The court put it in charge of the second defendant, the current minister, who also held the position of former general manager and chairman of the board of directors of the holding, for the illegal seizure of the previously mentioned amount, with the intention of appropriating it. This was achieved by using the employment contract dated March 1, 2014, which was approved and signed by the first defendant in violation of the decision of the Board of Directors.

After a thorough examination of the incident, the court confirmed that the contract signed by the first defendant (MN), which was authorized by the company’s board of directors, and the second defendant (the vice president), contained two clauses that differed significantly from the original terms. in the authorization annex. These changes resulted in additional financial rights and obligations for the company, including the automatic renewal of the contract for successive periods. The contract also stated that if the company terminated the contract for any reason before its expiration, the contractor would be entitled to full payment for the remaining period.