Kuwait: Court acquits woman of usury, money-laundering

Dubai: Kuwait’s Court of Appeal upheld a ruling acquitting a Kuwaiti woman of usury and money laundering.

The earlier ruling was issued by the Court of First Instance, acquitting the woman of usury and money laundering of KD 2.25 million Kuwaiti dinars

The Public Prosecution charged the defendant with money laundering. In its statement, the prosecution said the woman is accused of intentionally possessing 2.25 million dinars that she obtained illegally through usury.

In court papers, the woman lent the amount to a man with an estimated interest, which was later deposited in her local bank account.

The defendant’s lawyer Abdul Mohsen Al Qattan said the crime of lending at an obscene interest against his client was not valid, stressing that the case documents were devoid of conclusive evidence of the charges against his client and necessary evidence to back the accusation.