Three Keralites accused in the embezzlement of a huge sum from the Indian School at Salmia in Kuwait about a decade ago have been found guilty and sentenced to jail terms and fine.

The Kuwait First Instance Court awarded eight years imprisonment each for Asianet Managing Editor K.P. Mohanan, who was employed in the Kuwait Times at the time of the misappropriation, and Mathew Philip, a Kuwait Government employee, while the third Keralite, Thomas Chandy alias Kuwait Chandy, has been told to pay a fine of KD500.

Chandy and Philip were arrested in Kuwait after the news of the scandal broke. In a swift move, Chandy secured a bail paying back KD85,000 (about Rs 10.5 million), part of the loot reportedly shared by the trio. Philip, however, had to languish in a Kuwait jail for more than two years. But he too managed to come out on bail and managed to escape to Kerala against the bail terms.

Though the Kuwait Justice Ministry issued an arrest warrant against Mohanan and the Interpol's help was sought in this regard, Mohanan has not yet been arrested. As per the arrest warrant, Mohanan is liable to be arrested if he visits any of the Gulf Cooperation Council states.

Following a spate of complaints from Keralites in Kuwait, the then Indian President K.R. Narayanan had directed the Indian External Affairs Ministry in November, 2000 to take stern action against the culprits. Keralites in Kuwait had also submitted memoranda to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and a number of politicians, including the then Kerala Chief Minister E.K. Nayanar.

In spite of the directives from Narayanan and Home Minister L.K. Advani in this regard, no action was taken presumably because of the absence of an extradition treaty between India and Kuwait. But legal circles point out that there exists no hurdle if the Indian Government decides to hand over anyone found guilty by the Kuwaiti Government. Such practices exist among many countries.

The scam broke after the then Indian Ambassador B.M.C. Nair alias Mohana Chandran, who had formed an ad hoc committee of the school with Philip and Mohanan at the top to facilitate the embezzlement, left Kuwait. By then the school funds estimated to be more than Rs 420 million had been transferred to the accounts of Mohanan and others. Nair has not been given any assignment after his return from Kuwait. There were reports that the trio acquired properties and shares making use of the misappropriated amount.

Mohanan, however, said he had been denied natural justice and that he would initiate legal steps against the court verdict here and in Kuwait.