A criminal court in Kuwait has sentenced a municipal employee and an Indian national to seven years in prison over their alleged involvement in a network accused of smuggling subsidized diesel out of the country and selling it abroad.
Four other Indian defendants were each sentenced to one month in prison, while a customs officer, a Ministry of Interior sergeant and an Egyptian marketing manager were acquitted.
The case involves allegations of customs forgery, smuggling subsidized diesel out of Kuwait and reselling it abroad after purchasing the fuel from the relevant authorities.
According to the charges, the first three defendants allegedly helped an unidentified individual forge a customs declaration to complete clearance procedures and facilitate the shipment of diesel outside the country.
Three other defendants were accused of assisting the alleged operation by preparing containers and filling them with diesel for export and resale abroad.
Another defendant was accused of participating in the alleged forgery, smuggling and sale of the fuel. The municipal employee, a public servant, was charged with falsifying official documents, including two customs declarations and exit permits linked to the case, and participating in the alleged forgery, smuggling and sale of diesel.
Ten containers declared as iron
Kuwait’s Ministry of Interior previously said that its Criminal Security Sector had uncovered an organised network suspected of illegally exporting petroleum products.
The investigation was carried out by the General Department of Criminal Investigation’s Financial Crimes Department and Sea Ports Investigation Department, in co-operation with the General Administration of Customs.
Authorities began investigating after receiving information about 10 containers prepared for export whose contents allegedly did not match the declared description of the goods as iron.
Investigators subsequently discovered petroleum products inside the containers. The shipments were covered by two customs declarations registered under two commercial companies, according to the authorities.
The case was referred for legal proceedings following an investigation into the suspected smuggling operation and the alleged use of forged customs documents to facilitate the export of subsidized diesel.
The court acquitted the three defendants who had been identified as a customs officer, a Ministry of Interior sergeant and an Egyptian marketing manager, while sentencing the remaining defendants according to its judgment.