Cairo – A former Kuwaiti government minister has been sentenced to four years in prison and fined KD400,000 ($1.3 million) for corruption, according to local reports. The court, which handles cases involving government officials, also ruled that Mubarak Al Harees, the ex-minister, will be permanently barred from holding any public office.
Al Harees, 60, who previously served as the minister of services affairs and parliamentary affairs, was found guilty of influence peddling. He was charged with securing a decision to change the designation of two industrial land plots from craft to commercial use, in exchange for KD50,000. The former official later sold the plots for KD780,000, profiting from the increased value due to the land’s change in activity.
He also faced charges of illicit gains and forgery.
Kuwait has increased efforts in fighting corruption in recent years, leading to high-profile convictions. Last December, Kuwait’s top appeals court sentenced seven expatriates working at foreign exchange offices to 10 years each for money laundering in what was dubbed the biggest money laundering case in Kuwait’s forex sector.
In a separate case, a former government minister was sentenced to seven years in prison in November for profiteering through a business contract and influence peddling.
The Court of Ministers also convicted other high-ranking officials, including a former ministerial undersecretary and the head of the Federation of Cooperative Societies, for awarding a government tender in exchange for personal gain.
