Former Kuwaiti Minister Sentenced to Prison for Secret Expenditures

Kuwait's Court of Cassation has handed down a three-year prison sentence and a fine of 3,000 dinars ($9,700) to former Minister Sheikh Talal Khaled Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. The conviction stems from incidents linked to secret expenditures during his tenure.

This latest ruling comes after a previous sentencing in January 2025, where the Ministers Court found Sheikh Talal guilty of embezzling funds from both the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Interior. In that case, he received a 14-year prison sentence and was ordered to repay around 10 million dinars, along with a hefty 20 million dinar fine.

The embezzlement charges were divided into two parts. For expenditures related to the Ministry of Defense, Sheikh Talal was sentenced to seven years in jail, ordered to return 500,000 dinars, fined one million dinars, and dismissed from his post. An expatriate co-defendant in this case received a four-year sentence, a fine of 294,000 dinars, and expulsion from Kuwait.

Regarding the Ministry of Interior expenditures, Sheikh Talal Al-Khaled received another seven-year prison sentence. He was ordered to return 9 million dinars and fined 19 million dinars. Sheikh Talal Khaled Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, 59, previously served as First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior from October 16, 2022, to January 17, 2024.