By A Saleh

KUWAIT: The criminal court yesterday adjourned hearing the so-called Ministry of Interior (MoI) hospitality case till Feb 2 so that the lawyers of 11 defendants can prepare their arguments and set another hearing on Feb 16 for the remaining defendants. The court also ordered the continuation of detaining the accused already imprisoned and refused lifting travel bans of those who had been released.

Meanwhile, speaking before the court, the public prosecution stressed that some of the names included in the 'MoI hospitality' case were of Saudi nationals who had applied for Saudi non-security jobs online. "The same names have been used over and over again as MoI guests by changing their ranks each time," the public prosecution said, showing the actual names of the secret security delegations MoI had hosted as per State Audit Bureau reports.

In another case, the court of cassation upheld a ruling sentencing a Kuwaiti man to death for beating his daughter to death inside a vehicle and sentenced the mother to 10 years with labor. The court of cassation also seconded a verdict sentencing Hamed Bu Yabis to two years imprisonment and suspending the verdict for three years provided he signs an affidavit and pays KD 5,000 bail in a case filed against him by the state security for blaspheming HH the Amir.

Meanwhile, the court of misdemeanor sentenced a blogger to pay a KD 3,000 fine, sign an affidavit and pay KD 200 bail to suspend the verdict passed against him for slandering educating ministry's assistant undersecretary Faisal Maqseed on social media networks.

Online service
The finance ministry announced launching the online issuance of certificates of refunding the income tax guarantee yesterday. The ministry explained that the new service will enable Kuwait and GCC companies and individuals to refund the sums withheld by government bodies with whom they have contracts to pay for their income tax as stipulated by articles 37 and 38 of the income tax decree number 3/1955 amended by law number 2/2008.

The finance ministry stressed that the new service aims at facilitating procedures and automating them upon direct instructions from the Cabinet. The finance ministry's assistant undersecretary for tax and financial affairs Aseel Al-Munaifi said the certificate will be delivered via email without having to check in with the ministry.

Jahra campaign
Jahra municipal inspection teams launched a large campaign in Kabd, Suliabiya, Saad Al-Abdullah, Taima and Salmi. Speaking on the occasion, Jahra cleaning department manager Fahd Al-Quraifah said the campaign resulted in removing 29 abandoned vehicles, pasting 25 notice stickers on others, removing 3,586 cubic meters of debris, filing 16 warning notices, confiscating three tons of inedible foodstuff and filing 21 citations for various violations including peddling.

Restaurant robbery
A lawyer yesterday reported that his client's restaurant in Jabriya had been broken into and burgled by unidentified thieves, said security sources. A case was filed and further investigations are in progress.