Four Sentenced to Four Years in Prison for Tampering with Electricity Bills in Kuwait

Four individuals in Kuwait have been sentenced to four years in prison each for tampering with electricity meter readings. This verdict comes amid an intensified anti-corruption crackdown by authorities.

The convicted individuals include two Kuwaiti citizens and two expatriates. They faced charges of forgery, embezzling state funds, and unauthorised access to a government information website affiliated with the Kuwaiti Ministry of Electricity and Water.

A fifth individual involved in the case was acquitted by the appeals court.
The arrests were made earlier for illegal access to the government site, altering power consumption data, and issuing reduced bills in exchange for money.

Fake Medical Reports

In a separate incident, Kuwaiti police arrested a suspect involved in selling fake medical reports for money. The police discovered four counterfeit seals, forgery equipment and samples of fraudulent medical leave reports in his possession.

The arrest followed a legal complaint from a government agency after an employee submitted a suspicious medical report, which was later confirmed to be fake. Investigations traced the forgery back to the suspect.

A subsequent raid on his home uncovered a cache of forged reports and seals falsely attributing them to doctors at healthcare centers.

Fake Degrees

Kuwait has recently intensified efforts to combat fake degrees, referring a new batch of suspicious educational certificates to prosecution in July. This is the second such action in less than a month.

Kuwaiti Minister of Education and Higher Education, Adel Aldawani, recently forwarded an unspecified number of post-high school degrees to public prosecution. The holders of these degrees had presented false documents and altered official data.

Aldawani emphasised that these measures are part of the ministry's ongoing efforts to "combat corruption and eliminate forgery."

Kuwait is rigorously vetting educational certificates presented by civil servants. The Ministry of Education and the Civil Service Commission are examining the validity of all state employee degrees obtained since 2000.

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