Kuwait's former defence minister sentenced to seven years for mishandling military funds

Kuwait's highest court on Sunday sentenced former defence and interior minister Sheikh Khalid al-Jarrah al-Sabah to seven years in prison for mishandling military funds.

Former Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber al-Mubarak al-Sabah, who faced similar charges, was ordered by the court to return the funds he mismanaged.

Both men had denied the charges.

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 defence 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 ($778.61 million)in military funds before he assumed office.

Sheikh Jaber and Sheikh Khalid were acquitted of embezzlement charges in March 2022 but the case was revived upon an appeal from the Kuwaiti prosecution.

(Reuters)