Court rulings grant Kuwait Port Authority 22m in compensations

KUWAIT: The Kuwait Ports Authority (KPA) announced the issuance of rulings obliging companies to compensate the authority amounts exceeding KD 22 million (about USD 71.5 million) and placing the violating companies on the blacklist from registration and work in Shuwaikh Port and Shuaiba Port.

The KPA said the rulings came after a serious follow-up from the corporation to crack down on all forms of infringement on public funds and prevent any illegal practices by any violating company, with emphasis on ensuring an attractive environment for investment and improving maritime logistics services in Kuwait.

The authority stressed the importance of taking the necessary legal measures to ensure that the state’s wealth is not abused and that violators are punished through sound lawsuits. It also highlighted the importance of providing the Fatwa and Legislation Department with all the evidence and documents necessary to file these lawsuits.

KPA expressed pride in the Kuwaiti judiciary’s announcement of a ruling obliging a company to pay KD 20 million (about $65 million) in compensation to the authority. The matter has been finally juridically decided on by the Court of Cassation and cannot be litigated again between the two parties.

The unnamed company had exploited an area of 270,000 square meters in the tenth storage area of Doha Port since its license expired in July 2014. According to the ruling, the company will be compensating the authority for incurred losses.

KPA said the court’s final ruling obligated two companies to pay an amount of KD 2.7 million (about USD 8.7 million) to the corporation. The matter has also been finally juridically decided on by the Court of Cassation and cannot be litigated again between the two parties. The penalty is for the value of their registration fees as a container handling contractor at Shuaiba Port from July 2002 until December 2015.

The final judgment issued by the Court of Cassation upholding the authority’s decision not to register these companies as a general cargo handling contractor at Shuwaikh Port and as a container handling contractor at Shuaiba Port for the years 2017 and 2018.

The KPA stressed that it will immediately work with the General Department of Implementation at the Ministry of Justice to collect the amounts adjudicated in its favor and enhance the revenues of the state’s general treasury. — KUNA