Kuwaiti court jails 19 in commercial draw rigging case, hands lengthy sentences

Dubai: Kuwait’s Criminal Court has handed down verdicts in a high-profile case involving the manipulation of commercial prize draws, sentencing dozens of defendants to prison terms and heavy fines.

Presided over by Judge Nasser Al Badr, the court sentenced 19 defendants, including the principal accused, a public employee at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, to 10 years in prison and fined them a total of three million dinars. A further 28 defendants were sentenced to four years’ imprisonment, while 36 others were acquitted or had proceedings halted, Al Qabas daily reported.

In its ruling, the court said the offences were particularly serious, noting that the lead defendant abused his position as head of the free promotions department to manipulate his official duties for personal gain, undermining principles of justice and equal opportunity.

The court said such fraud damages the credibility of prize draws, erodes public trust in organisers, infringes participants’ rights and harms the country’s financial reputation internationally.

Prosecutors said the case involved 73 defendants and amounted to an organised crime, not isolated wrongdoing, with defendants exploiting regulatory gaps to secure and share illicit financial games.