KUWAIT: Former defense minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah was referred to the ministers’ court on Tuesday over suspected graft. An investigation committee attached to the court decided to press charges against Sheikh Ahmad, who was defense minister between June 2023 and January 2024, over misuse of classified expenditures in the ministry for personal benefits. The charges were also pressed against his former office director.

The committee said it received receipts from Acting Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousef Al-Sabah proving the misuse of the expenditures to purchase vehicles and watches. The committee however decided to shelve another complaint against Sheikh Ahmad from the financial intelligence unit claiming he used funds to influence the outcome of parliamentary elections as it did not find any evidence to prove the claim.

Sheikh Ahmad, 61, has occupied several ministerial posts during the past 25 years, starting with energy minister, information minister, minister for development and economic affairs and others. He also occupied senior international sports posts. He is the second prominent minister of the previous government to be tried on graft charges.

Three months ago, the ministers’ court sentenced former interior and defense minister Sheikh Talal Al-Khaled Al-Sabah to 14 years in jail after convicting him of misappropriation of public funds. The court convicted him of embezzling KD 9.5 million from the ministry of defense and KD 500,000 from the interior ministry. The court ordered Sheikh Talal to return KD 10 million to the two ministries and fined him KD 20 million.

The ruling can be appealed only once to the court of cassation, unlike regular cases that can be appealed twice to the courts of appeals and cassation. In recent years, Kuwaiti courts have jailed several ministers and senior officials over corruption cases and ordered them to repay embezzled funds.